President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a formal request to the Nigerian Senate for the confirmation of Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The communication from the President was presented to the Senate during its plenary session on Tuesday by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who also read other presidential correspondence concerning appointments requiring legislative consent.
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The letter indicated that the nomination adheres to the constitutional requirement that such appointments be subject to Senate confirmation.
The confirmation request has been forwarded to the Committee of the Whole for legislative review.
Amupitan’s name was first put forward by the President as his choice to fill the vacant leadership position at the electoral body last Thursday.
The Council of State subsequently gave its full endorsement for his nomination as the next INEC Chairman, succeeding the former head, Mahmood Yakubu.
Speaking to the Council, Tinubu noted that Amupitan, a native of Kogi State in the North-Central region, is the first person from that state to be nominated for the INEC chairman role.
Tinubu characterised the nominee as an apolitical person.
The nomination received unanimous support from Council members, including former heads of state.
The governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, also vouched for Amupitan, describing him as a “man of integrity.”
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Amupitan, 58, currently serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) and is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau State.
