Northern group warns against ethnicising new INEC chairperson’s appointment
The Northern Nigeria Minorities Group (NNMG) has cautioned individuals and interest groups against ethnicising the appointment of Joash Amupitan as the new chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Convener of the group, Jacob Edi, issued the warning in a statement to PREMIUM TIMES, urging Nigerians to focus on competence and national unity rather than ethnic affiliations.
President Bola Tinubu nominated Mr Amupitan, a professor, as the new INEC chair last Thursday. He replaces Mahmood Yakubu, who bowed out of the commission two days earlier.
NNMG argued that, historically, no northern minority had questioned appointments made by previous leaders from the North, even when certain subregions dominated the position for over a decade.
“We have observed, with dismay, the spate of commentaries and social media tirades credited to some self-styled northern voices taking umbrage at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nomination of Professor Amupitan, a distinguished scholar, refined legal mind, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as yet another act of alleged ethnic preference.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. While not admitting any wrongdoing on the part of the President, we wish to note that this is the first time in 65 years, since the establishment of a statutory electoral commission in 1959, that a northern minority has been appointed to lead it,” it said.
Read the full statement below:
The Northern Nigeria Minorities Group (NNMG) views with consternation the ongoing attempts by certain individuals and interest groups to ethnicise the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
For the avoidance of doubt, Professor Amupitan is an Okun man from Kogi State, one of the minority ethnic nationalities in Northern Nigeria. There are 19 states in the North, each richly diverse and unique, none superior to the other by tribe, tongue, or faith.
We have observed, with dismay, the spate of commentaries and social media tirades credited to some self-styled northern voices taking umbrage at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nomination of Professor Amupitan, a distinguished scholar, refined legal mind, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as yet another act of alleged ethnic preference.
Nothing could be further from the truth. While not admitting any wrongdoing on the part of the President, we wish to note that this is the first time in 65 years, since the establishment of a statutory electoral commission in 1959, that a northern minority has been appointed to lead it.
In all these decades, no northern minority group has ever questioned the decisions of successive Heads of State or Presidents to appoint individuals they felt comfortable working with, even when the North West and North East held the position consecutively for 15 years.
We therefore crave the understanding of all Nigerians to see northern minorities as citizens with equal stakes in the Nigerian project and to cease the habit of fulmination each time one of us is entrusted with national responsibility.
We recall that this unfortunate trend of delegitimising northern minority appointments gained traction during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, when any appointment extended to a northern minority was derisively dismissed as “not northern enough.” The current ethnicisation of Professor Amupitan’s appointment is a direct continuation of that ugly and retrogressive trend, and it must stop.
It is important to emphasise that the North is not defined by ethnicity; it is a geographical expression which is broad, inclusive, and inherently multi-ethnic. Those peddling this skewed, malicious rhetoric are, in truth, the enemies of national unity and progress.
Accordingly, we wish to state as follows:
This jejune narrative underscores our growing concern that some of our northern colleagues continue to perceive northern minorities merely as fillers of demography, unworthy of the privileges and recognition that come with our place in the federation.
Such thinking is antiquated, divisive, and inimical to the spirit of modern governance. After 65 years of independence, our directive principle should be competence, integrity, and capacity, not these parochial sentiments that have stunted the growth and development of our great nation.
The appointment of Professor Amupitan should be celebrated as a bold step toward inclusivity, equity, and meritocracy… these are values that must be internalised as a matter of national urgency if we are to strengthen our democracy.
We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for recognising the diversity of the North and for giving all constituent groups a sense of belonging in his appointments.
The NNMG, therefore, cautions against any further attempt to polarise this nation along ethnic or sectional lines. We urge political actors, commentators, and citizens alike to rise above petty identity politics and focus on building institutions that work, irrespective of who heads them.
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The time for ethnic arithmetic is over. The era of competence, fairness, and national responsibility must begin in earnest.
We must reiterate, without ambiguity, that northern minorities collectively constitute the true stabilising force of this federation — and when placed together, we are not just “minorities”; we are the real majority that believes in the unity and progress of Nigeria.
Chief Jacob EDI
KAKAKI BASSANGE
CONVENER
Northern Nigeria Minorities Group