Public accountability and democratic reforms advocate, Ezenwa Nwagwu, has urged the Nigerian Senate to conduct a transparent and rigorous screening of the newly nominated chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo-Amupitan, stressing that only a strong, credible and independent leadership can rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s electoral system.
Speaking on ARISE News on Thursday, Nwagwu warned that the process of confirmation must not become a mere formality, but a genuine test of competence and character.
“The president has made the nomination, but the nominee still has to be profiled by the secret police and then presented to the Council of State,” Nwagwu said. “That oversight mechanism needs to be more transparent. I’m worried that all we ever hear is that the Council of State unanimously approved. It would have been better if we knew whether there were votes or dissenting opinions.”
He added that the Senate committees on intelligence, electoral matters and anti-corruption must engage the nominee thoroughly rather than simply endorsing him.
“These committees should not just do the ‘yes’ thing,” Nwagwu stressed. “They should engage this nominee and find out whether he is suitable or not. Civil society must also avoid pandering to this ‘good man thesis’ and instead dig deeper into affiliations and relationships that could affect his performance.”
While acknowledging that Professor Amupitan’s nomination had generated optimism in some quarters, Nwagwu said stakeholders must wait for the Senate’s confirmation before setting any agenda for him.
“We should not precede the Senate,” he said. “Let him be cleared first, and then we can place clear demands on what he needs to do. INEC is a pool of various interests, and managing those interests will be key to his success.”
He warned that the new INEC chairman must understand the urgency and complexity of his task, given the proximity of off-cycle governorship elections and the 2027 general polls.
“There are no learning curves in INEC,” Nwagwu stated. “Nigerians are too impatient for anyone to use an election as a learning process. So the quality of the team around him—resident electoral commissioners and national commissioners—will be critical.”
According to him, the internal reforms needed at INEC must be holistic and focused on ensuring competence, integrity and courage among state-level officers.
“Those off-cycle elections are only as good as the resident electoral commissioners who conduct them,” he explained. “If you have an incompetent REC, it smears the entire commission. So, the new chairman must surround himself with credible, non-partisan people.”
Nwagwu also called on politicians to stop undermining the electoral process through undue interference and manipulation.
“Even if the chairman comes with all the pedigree and competence, if the environment remains fouled by politicians shamelessly plundering public wealth, we will not get the outcomes we want,” he said.
On electoral reforms and funding, Nwagwu emphasised that financial independence was vital to INEC’s success.
“It is not the INEC chairman who gives himself funds; the politicians provide them,” he noted. “If they starve him of funds, they’ve already set him up for failure. The National Assembly must ensure clear and adequate budgeting for elections.”
He also urged lawmakers to clarify legal ambiguities around result transmission and collation, which he said caused major disputes in 2023.
“The challenge is not transmission but collation,” Nwagwu explained. “Politicians often already have results in their pockets. The National Assembly must make clear, definitive laws distinguishing upload, transmission and collation of results.”
Finally, Nwagwu cautioned against early attempts to delegitimise the forthcoming 2027 elections by attacking electoral institutions.
“There are people already in the business of delegitimising the 2027 elections before they start,” he warned. “INEC and security agencies will come under heavy attack from partisan interests. We must be nuanced about this. Politicians contribute 70% of our electoral challenges, yet we often give them a free pass.”
He concluded with a strong piece of advice for the INEC nominee:
“If Professor Amupitan is confirmed, he must extricate himself from the forces that influenced his appointment. He must stay clear of Nigerian politicians if he wants to succeed.”
Boluwatife Enome
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