AdvoKC Foundation Calls on National Assembly to Uphold Its Promise and Review INEC Appointment Process

…Rejects the ‘Employment’ of Prof. Amupitan as INEC Chairman

* Habib Sheidu, AdvoKC Foundation Project Director

The AdvoKC Foundation expresses deep concern over the recent employment of Professor Amupitan as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

While the “employment” aligns with the provisions of Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to nominate the INEC Chairman and National Commissioners subject to Senate confirmation, it directly contradicts the National Assembly’s earlier commitment to review this process and minimise presidential involvement in such critical appointments.

The core issue lies in the continued reliance on Section 154(1), which concentrates excessive power in the Executive and undermines the independence of INEC. Both chambers of the National Assembly, through their Legislative Agendas, pledged to reform this process to ensure that INEC’s leadership selection is transparent, participatory, and independent of partisan control. This promise was made in recognition of the widespread public concern that the current appointment mechanism compromises INEC’s neutrality and erodes citizens’ trust in Nigeria’s electoral system.

Unfortunately, the employment of Prof. Amupitan without the promised review undermines that commitment and risks entrenching the same structural flaws the National Assembly vowed to correct.

AdvoKC Foundation therefore calls on the National Assembly to:

Withhold the confirmation of the newly nominated INEC Chairman until the review and reform of the appointment process are completed;

Prioritise the reform of the Electoral Act and the amendment of relevant constitutional provisions to reflect a more independent and citizen-driven framework for appointing INEC leadership;

Ensure that any future appointment aligns with the reformed legal framework, thereby reflecting the legislature’s own vision of a credible and autonomous electoral body.

The independence of INEC is not merely a procedural matter; it is the bedrock of Nigeria’s democratic integrity. To protect it, the legislature must act in accordance with its own promise and the expectations of the Nigerian people.