Amupitan, new INEC Chairman
Against the backdrop of lack of confidence by a vast majority of Nigerians in the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver free, fair and credible elections, the newly confirmed Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has promised to ensure its independence as well as carry out an audit to see what those limiting factors were and deal with them accordingly.
Amupitan, who replaces Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who exited office on October 7, 2025, also pledged to undertake a comprehensive audit of INEC’s Results Viewing (IReV) portal to identify and resolve the technical glitches that undermined public confidence during the 2023 general elections.
These were part of the submissions by the new chairman when he faced the Senate screening committee on Thursday, October 16, 2025.
Noting that the IReV and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) were introduced to enhance transparency and integrity in elections, in line with global best practices, Amupitan opined that the review would help restore credibility to the country’s electoral process and strengthen the deployment of election technology ahead of future polls.
“I believe what happened in 2023 was subsumed as a glitch. Before the election, my understanding, based on a review of Supreme Court decisions, was that there was no clarity as to the purpose of IReV,” he stated.
While explaining that the Supreme Court later clarified that the IReV portal was not designed as an electronic collation system but as a verification tool to ensure consistency between manually collated results and those transmitted electronically, Amupitan said, “The IReV was supposed to be a safeguard for comparison because the laws made by this distinguished Senate did not do away with manual collation. However, IReV was supposed to provide some guarantee for checks and balances”.
On the glitches experienced in 2023, Amupitan said he would audit the IReV system to determine the root causes of the glitches and evaluate whether the existing technology is capable of meeting Nigeria’s electoral needs.
“I have to audit the system if I’m given the opportunity to see what is actually wrong and whether we have what it takes as it is now because it is not just the INEC responsibility, but also that of other agencies like NCC, NIMC, and service providers who must work together to deliver technology that Nigerians can trust.”
He also observed that delay in the release of election funds had contributed to institutional challenges faced by INEC in past exercises despite existing legislation mandating early disbursement of resources.
According to him, “Although it has been legislated that funds should be released a year before elections, this often does not happen in time, leaving the institution financially constrained”.
Prof. Amupitan further assured lawmakers that he would undertake a broader audit of INEC’s operations and constitutional framework to identify and address factors limiting the commission’s independence and efficiency.
He said, “We will look at the spirit and letter of the Constitution, as well as the laws made by the National Assembly. We will use our knowledge to ensure that INEC is independent. And we will have an audit to see what those limiting factors are and deal with them accordingly.”
He pledged to uphold the autonomy of the commission and work closely with the National Assembly to strengthen electoral reforms that would guarantee free, fair, and credible elections.
Prof. Amupitan replaces Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who stepped down as INEC Chairman on October 7, 2025.
