The newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, will formally assume office on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to an internal communication at INEC, signed by Deputy Director of Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, for the Director of Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), the inaugural meeting between the new chairman and INEC directors will be held at 1:30 p.m. in the commission’s Conference Hall.
It is expected that Amupitan will resume after his swearing-in by President Bola Tinubu.
Members of the INEC Press Corps have been invited to cover the opening ceremony.
Amupitan’s appointment followed the completion of the two-term tenure of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who served as chairman from 2015 to 2025, overseeing two general elections and several off-cycle polls across the country.
President Tinubu had nominated him for the position in September, and the Senate subsequently confirmed his appointment after a rigorous screening process that assessed his competence, integrity, and vision for electoral reforms.
A law professor and former Dean of Law at the University of Jos, Amupitan is widely regarded as an expert in constitutional and administrative law, with decades of experience in legal education and governance reforms.
Meanwhile, members of key Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have urged Amupitan to consolidate on the gains and reforms achieved under the immediate past chairman.
They stated that sustaining the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process requires the collective commitment of political parties, the judiciary, security agencies, and citizens.
The stakeholders made the call on Wednesday at a colloquium organised by the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) to celebrate achievements and reforms INEC recorded under Yakubu.
The colloquium, themed “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Reflections on a Decade of INEC Leadership,” brought together political leaders, academics, and civil society actors, who agreed that consolidating on the institutional and technological foundations laid under Yakubu’s leadership is key to building a more credible, transparent, and resilient electoral system in Nigeria.
Speaking, Deputy National Chairman of IPAC, Hon. Dipo Olayoku, described the conduct of elections in Nigeria as one of the most complex national responsibilities, noting that the problem goes beyond the electoral body itself.
According to him, conducting elections in Nigeria is no easy task, adding that many Nigerians still believe that once they take part in an election, they must win.
“We all remember the ‘do-or-die’ politics of 2007. That mindset remains one of the biggest challenges facing our democracy”, he said.
