Senate Screens Amupitan As New INEC Chair Today

The Senate will today (Thursday) screen Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan for the position of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The announcement was contained in a circular issued on Wednesday by the Director of Information for the Senate, Bullah Audu Bi-Allah, and made available to journalists in Abuja.

The development comes barely 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu’s letter seeking the speedy confirmation of Amupitan was read on the Senate floor by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.

The circular read in part: “The Office of the Secretary, Research and Information wishes to notify members of the press and the general public that the Senate will on Thursday, 16th October, 2025, conduct the screening of the nominee of President Bola Tinubu, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, as INEC Chairman.

“The exercise is scheduled to hold at the Senate Chamber, National Assembly Complex. Members of the Senate Press Corps are kindly requested to provide their usual media coverage and support to ensure adequate dissemination of information to the public. Similarly, television stations are expected to extend the usual courtesies of providing live coverage of the event.”

Amupitan’s nomination, which followed last week’s endorsement by the National Council of State, marks a significant transition for the electoral body following the exit of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu after a decade at the helm of INEC.

In his letter to the Senate, Tinubu stated that the appointment was made “in line with Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)” and urged lawmakers to grant it their “usual expeditious consideration.”