The Senate is set to screen Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan today (Thursday) for the position of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This was disclosed in a circular issued on Wednesday by the Senate’s Director of Information, Bullah Audu Bi-Allah, and distributed to journalists in Abuja.
The development comes less than 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu’s letter requesting the prompt confirmation of Amupitan was read on the Senate floor by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The circular partly stated: “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, signifies a major transition for the electoral body after Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s decade-long tenure as INEC Chairman.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu stated that the nomination was made “in line with Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)” and urged the lawmakers to give it their “usual expeditious consideration.”
“I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,” the President wrote.
Amupitan’s nomination comes at a politically delicate moment, amid renewed national debates about INEC’s independence and credibility following disputed post-election assessments.
While the Presidency described Amupitan as “an apolitical figure of impeccable integrity,” opposition parties and civil society organisations have called on the Senate to ensure a transparent and thorough screening process.
Today’s screening is expected to attract significant public attention nationwide, as it will set the tone for future electoral reforms and test the administration’s commitment to credible elections ahead of the 2027 general polls.
Meanwhile, the Northern Nigeria Minorities Group (NNMG) has warned against efforts by individuals or interest groups to introduce ethnicity into discussions surrounding Amupitan’s nomination.
In a strongly worded statement released in Kaduna on Tuesday and signed by its Convener, Chief Jacob Edi, the group expressed concern over what it termed “divisive commentaries and social media tirades” questioning President Tinubu’s choice of the Kogi-born academic.
Edi noted that Amupitan, a native of the Okun ethnic group in Kogi State, belongs to one of the minority nationalities in northern Nigeria and that his appointment should be welcomed rather than politicised.
“We view with consternation the ongoing attempts by certain individuals and interest groups to ethnicise the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,” Edi said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Professor Amupitan is an Okun man from Kogi State, one of the minority ethnic nationalities in Northern Nigeria. There are 19 states in the North, each richly diverse and unique, none superior to another by tribe, tongue, or faith.”
He expressed worry that “some self-styled northern voices” were depicting the President’s decision as an act of ethnic favouritism, describing such claims as “false, dangerous, and inimical to national unity.”
Edi, who also holds the traditional title of Kakaki Basanghe, pointed out that this marks the first time in 65 years—since the creation of a statutory electoral commission in 1959—that someone from a northern minority group has been appointed to lead Nigeria’s electoral body.
“In all these decades, no northern minority group has ever questioned the decisions of successive Heads of State or Presidents to appoint individuals they felt comfortable working with, even when the North-West and North-East held the position consecutively for 15 years,” the statement added.
The NNMG urged Nigerians to recognise that northern minorities are equal stakeholders in the Nigerian federation and to refrain from challenging their inclusion in national appointments.
Edi lamented that the “unfortunate trend” of undermining northern minority appointments began during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when such appointments were dismissively labelled as “not northern enough.”
“The current ethnicisation of Professor Amupitan’s appointment is a direct continuation of that ugly and retrogressive trend, and it must stop,” he declared.
The group emphasised that the North should be defined not by ethnic divisions but by inclusiveness and diversity, warning that those promoting divisive rhetoric were “the real enemies of national unity and progress.”
It further outlined four key concerns, asserting that the backlash surrounding Amupitan’s nomination reveals a long-standing bias against northern minorities.
“This jejune narrative underscores our growing concern that some of our northern colleagues continue to perceive northern minorities merely as fillers of demography, unworthy of the privileges and recognition that come with our place in the federation,” it stated.
“Such thinking is antiquated, divisive, and inimical to the spirit of modern governance.”
According to the NNMG, 65 years after independence, Nigeria should be driven by principles of competence, integrity, and merit rather than ethnic identity.
“The appointment of Professor Amupitan should be celebrated as a bold step toward inclusivity, equity, and meritocracy. These are values that must be internalised if we are to strengthen our democracy,” the statement added.
The group commended President Tinubu for “recognising the diversity of the North,” noting that his recent appointments have given all constituent groups in the region a sense of belonging.
Edi cautioned that further attempts to divide the country along ethnic or sectional lines would only hinder democratic progress.
“We urge political actors, commentators, and citizens alike to rise above petty identity politics and focus on building institutions that work, irrespective of who heads them. The time for ethnic arithmetic is over. The era of competence, fairness, and national responsibility must begin in earnest,” he said.
The NNMG also reiterated that northern minorities play a vital role in maintaining the stability of the Nigerian federation, stressing that, collectively, they represent “the real majority” committed to national unity and development.
“We must reiterate, without ambiguity, that northern minorities collectively constitute the true stabilising force of this federation — and when placed together, we are not just minorities; we are the real majority that believes in the unity and progress of Nigeria,” Edi said.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to put an end to the politicisation of national appointments and to support Professor Amupitan as he prepares to lead INEC.
“Let competence and fairness, not ethnicity, define our national discourse. The success of Nigeria’s democracy depends on it,” Edi added.
