A former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu, has described the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, as a man of integrity and principle, but warned that the complex internal politics within INEC could challenge those values.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Odinkalu said that though he had known Amupitan since their days in law school, leading INEC is an entirely different challenge.
“Joash is a decent man, a man of basic integrity. I’ve known him for nearly four decades. I don’t see him presiding over an election that ends up with four conflicting results like what we saw in Edo,” Odinkalu said.
He, however, cautioned that Amupitan’s integrity alone might not be enough to withstand the “multiple principalities”, a term he used to describe the entrenched interests within the electoral body.
“INEC is not an ordinary institution. It is filled with competing power centres. Every major politician, from the presidency down to governors, has loyalists planted inside the commission,” Odinkalu noted.
“That’s the danger, the integrity of one person can be strained by the vested interests surrounding him.”
Odinkalu urged the new INEC chairman to set clear priorities and focus on measurable progress, especially with the Anambra governorship election just around the corner.
“He can’t fix everything in one day, but he must decide what his immediate goals are. The Anambra election on November 8 is his first real test. People will judge him by how he handles that,” he said.
The human rights advocate added that the Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun governorship elections would serve as “testing grounds” for Amupitan’s leadership style ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“These polls are like laboratories. How INEC performs there will give Nigerians an idea of what to expect in 2027,” he explained.
President Bola Tinubu officially swore in Professor Joash Amupitan as INEC Chairman on Thursday, following his Senate confirmation on October 16.
During the ceremony, the President tasked him with protecting the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process and strengthening INEC’s institutional independence.
Upon assumption of office, Amupitan pledged to uphold Nigeria’s electoral laws and defend the Constitution, emphasizing that he would run the commission with transparency and accountability.
“I reaffirm that I will defend the Constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially as they concern the electoral process,” he told journalists shortly after taking his oath.
Despite his cautionary tone, Odinkalu expressed confidence in Amupitan’s character.
“I hope that when his tenure ends, he will leave INEC the same Joash I’ve known for nearly 40 years, decent, fair, and untainted,” he said.
(Daily Gizette)
