INEC Appointment: CSOs Demand Thorough and Open Screening of Amupitan by Senate

Following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, as the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, civil society organizations, or CSOs, have urged the Senate to be open and honest in its selection process.

Newsmen were reportedly given access to the CSOs’ statement by Yiaga Africa on Saturday.

Amupitan’s candidacy, which was apparently approved unanimously by the Council of State, does not take the place of the Nigerian Senate’s obligation to carry out a thorough, exacting, and open vetting procedure, the civic organizations pointed out.

Yiaga Africa, Women Rights Advancement Protection Alternative, WRAPA, International Press Center, IPC, the Kukah Center, Center for Media and Society, TAF Africa, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Nigeria Women Trust Fund, Accountability Lab, Nigeria, and YERP Naija Campaign have all signed the statement together.

The organizations believed the only way the Senate could inspire public trust was through a thorough, stringent, and transparent screening procedure.

Along with guaranteeing transparency, they also tasked the Senate with making sure the process is broadcast on television and incorporates citizen and civil society engagement in the confirmation hearings, memoranda, and petitions.

The CSOs also demanded that the Senate conduct a thorough investigation of his qualifications, public records, electoral reform vision, INEC’s institutional strengthening, and ability to maintain electoral integrity and withstand political meddling.

The Senate should also question the nominee’s strategies for resolving systemic issues, such as voter registration, transmission of results, and adherence to INEC’s rules and policies.

“In accordance with the Framework for Citizens Engagement in the INEC Appointment Process, which was previously provided to the Senate by the undersigned civil society organizations, Nigerians anticipate that the Senate confirmation process will be accessible to the public.

“This includes complete disclosure of the nominee’s qualifications, history of public service, and ability to conduct elections free from political meddling,” the statement said.

Despite stating that they recognized Amupitan’s academic and professional achievements and therefore had no objections to his nomination in principle, the groups pointed out that the current electoral situation in Nigeria necessitates an INEC that is fiercely independent, impervious to political manipulation, and steadfast in its commitment to holding credible elections.

They conjectured that the future INEC chairman, should the Senate confirm him, should have moral courage, oppose political meddling, and function better when free from political influence.

Following the end of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s term, the Presidency announced that Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, would be the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC. We, the undersigned civil society organizations that work on democracy and elections in Nigeria and throughout Africa, acknowledge this announcement.

The Council of State, which apparently unanimously approved his candidacy, was consulted before this. It is important to remember that the Nigerian Senate’s responsibility to perform due diligence through a thorough and open screening procedure that fosters public confidence is not superseded by the Council of State’s ratification.

The Justice Uwais Report, the Ken Nnamani Committee Report, and the Citizens Memorandum on Electoral Reforms are just a few of the important electoral reform initiatives that support our long-standing demand for an open, inclusive, and citizen-centered appointment process.

According to the statement, “Yiaga Africa and other Civil Society Organizations are urging the Senate to make sure that Prof. Amupitan exhibits moral courage and resistance to political interference.”