3 weeks ago
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By Clifford Ndujihe, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Omeiza Ajayi, John Alechenu, Marie-Therese Nanlong & Luminous Jannamike
AHEAD of the submission of his sanction and clearance by the National Assembly, Nigerians governmental parties and groups, yesterday, acceptable targets for the incoming National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN.
As exclusively reported by Vanguard, connected Thursday, President Bola Tinubu presented Prof. Amupitan to the Council of State, yesterday, arsenic his prime for the predetermination apical job, and the assembly approved his nomination.
With the council’s approval, Tinubu is expected to guardant Amupitan’s sanction to the Senate for screening and confirmation, adjacent Tuesday.
If confirmed by the National Assembly, Amupitan, who hails from Kogi, North-Central, volition beryllium the six prof to caput the electoral assemblage successful Nigeria aft Eme Awa, Humphrey Nwosu, Maurice Iwu, Attahiru Jega and Mahmood Yakubu, who stepped down connected October 7, aft serving for 10 years.
Those who saddled Amupitan with tasks and targets to guarantee credible polls successful the state see the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Obidients Movement, Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, Northern Ethnic Nationalities, NENF, and Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State
A connection by the Presidential Spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said PresidentTinubu presented Amupitan arsenic the nominee to capable the vacant position, pursuing the exit of Professor Yakubu, who served from 2015 till October 2025.
According to the statement, President Tinubu told the assembly that Amupitan is the archetypal idiosyncratic from Kogi, North-Central State, nominated to inhabit the presumption and is apolitical.
“Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Ododo describing Amupitan arsenic a antheral of integrity.
“In compliance with the constitution, President Tinubu volition present nonstop Amupitan’s sanction to the Senate for screening,” it stated.
Amupitan, 58, from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu LGA successful Kogi State, is simply a Professor of Law astatine the University of Jos, Plateau. He is besides an alumnus of the university.
He specialises successful Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance and Privatisation Law. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria successful September 2014.
Amupitan was calved connected April 25, 1967.
After completing superior and secondary education, helium attended Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, from 1982 to 1984, and the University of Jos from 1984 to 1987. He was called to the barroom successful 1988.
He earned an LLM astatine UNIJOS successful 1993 and a PhD successful 2007, amid an world vocation that began successful 1989, pursuing his National Youth Service astatine the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation successful Bauchi from 1988 to 1989.
Currently, helium serves arsenic the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) astatine the University of Jos, a presumption helium holds successful conjunction with being the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University successful Osun State.He is joined and has 4 children.
Be loyal to Nigerians – ADC
Reacting to the issue, the ADC urged Amupitan to show loyalty to the Nigerian radical alternatively than the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The enactment said Amupitan’s assignment offers him a unsocial accidental to constitute his sanction successful past arsenic the INEC Chairman, who delivered free, fair, and credible elections, and not arsenic a instrumentality successful the hands of those successful power.
In a chat with Vanguard, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the enactment was adopting a cautious attack to the development, arsenic not overmuch is yet known astir the caller electoral chief.
“We inactive don’t cognize overmuch astir him, so, there’s a bounds to however earnestly we tin respond astatine this time,” Abdullahi said.
He, however, expressed anticipation that Amupitan would beryllium his independency by aligning with the interests of mean Nigerians alternatively than the authorities that nominated him.
“We anticipation helium proves loyal to the Nigerian radical and not to the government. His information and assignment contiguous an accidental for him to marque a sanction for himself arsenic the INEC Chairman who gave Nigerians free, fair, and credible elections, not arsenic a stooge of the ruling party. That is our preliminary comm...
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