INEC: Tinubu officially seeks Senate confirmation of Amupitan as substantial chairman

President Bola Tinubu has officially requested the Senate to confirm Prof Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the request on the floor of the Senate during plenary on Tuesday.

Akpabio also read other communications from the President regarding appointments that require legislative approval.

The president’s letter stated that the nomination is in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, which mandates Senate confirmation for such appointments.

The request has been referred to the committee of the whole for further legislative consideration.

DAILY POST recalls that last Thursday, the President at the Council of State meeting nominated Prof Amupitan to fill the leadership vacancy at the electoral commission.

The Council of State unanimously approved the nomination of Amupitan, as the next INEC Chairman, following the exit of Mahmood Yakubu.

Tinubu told the council that Amupitan, an indigene of Kogi state in the north-central geopolitical zone, is the first person from the state to be nominated for the role of INEC chairman.

According to a statement by the presidential spokesman, Tinubu described the nominee as an “apolitical” figure.

Council members, including former heads of state, gave unanimous backing to the nomination. Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi state, also described Amupitan as a “man of integrity”.

Amupitan, 58, is a professor of law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau state, where he also serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (administration).