‘Elections Will Be Credible, Losers Will Congratulate Winners’, Says Amupitan

The nominee for chairmanship of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),
Professor Joash Amupitan, has pledged to restore integrity and public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system, saying his goal was to make elections so transparent that “the loser will congratulate the winner.”

Speaking during his screening at the Senate Committee of the Whole on Thursday afternoon, Amupitan outlined a comprehensive reform plan that includes setting up an internal ethical committee, introducing a whistleblower policy, enforcing accountability within the commission, and deploying technology — including drones — to improve election logistics and security.

Reacting to lawmakers’ questions about corruption, electoral credibility, and logistics, Amupitan stressed that if confirmed as the next INEC chairman, trust and ethical conduct would be the cornerstone of his leadership.

“I think that is a major concern. We will work out an internal mechanism to try the behaviour of humans,” he said.

“I’m taking this position on trust, and my people must appreciate that they hold their positions on trust as well. We will set up an ethical committee to have an overview of what has happened because people have reported and nothing was done. We will pursue every complaint and follow through.”

He further revealed plans to collaborate with the National Assembly on the proposed Electoral Offences Commission to ensure that electoral violations are properly investigated and sanctioned.

“We will work with the National Assembly because there will be a need for legislative intervention on an electoral offences commission to investigate cases — even if we need to use forensic means to do that. We will introduce a whistleblowing policy to expose such practices,” Amupitan explained.

On the issue of election security, Amupitan said INEC under his leadership would take innovative steps to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised, even in hard-to-reach areas.

“Security is a major challenge. We will work with the security committee to strengthen those areas. We will invest in logistics to make sure we penetrate all parts of Nigeria — even if we need to use drones. No voter will be left behind; that will be our policy,” he stated.

The professor of law also emphasised the importance of voter and civic education as a means of deepening democratic values.

“There’s going to be voter education and civic education. We will build the capacity of all election stakeholders and embark on aggressive civic education,” he said.

Addressing the contentious issue of real-time transmission of results, Amupitan said the matter required legislative clarity, noting that he would contribute his expertise to help strengthen the Electoral Act.

“On the issue of real-time transmission, the Electoral Act has not been concluded. I will make my own input if I can and see how that issue can be addressed,” he said.

He promised that election timelines and procedures would be streamlined to remove ambiguities and ensure credibility.

“The issue of timeline will be streamlined, so there’s no ambiguity. We will ensure that elections are credible so that the loser will congratulate the winner and say, ‘You won.’ We will look into the security of election materials as well,” Amupitan pledged.

The INEC chairman chairman nominee also vowed to uphold transparency in financial management within the commission.

“This Parliament has enough laws on procurement and management of public funds; they will be enforced strictly so that funds are utilised for their intended purposes. We can also save funds where possible,” Amupitan said.