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CSOs Ask Senate to Air INEC Chair Amupitan Screening Live on TV

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Joash Ojo Amupitan

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has issued a direct challenge to the Nigerian Senate, demanding a “diligent, rigorous, and transparent” screening process for Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, who was recently nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Dependable NG reports that the CSOs, led by Yiaga Africa, made their position known in a joint statement released to newsmen on Saturday. The civil organisations acknowledged the nominee’s academic and professional accomplishments and stated they had no objection to the nomination in principle. However, they firmly asserted that the reported unanimous approval by the Council of State does not diminish the Senate’s constitutional duty to vet the candidate thoroughly to inspire public trust.

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The groups, which include Yiaga Africa, Women Rights Advancement Protection Alternative (WRAPA), International Press Centre (IPC), and The Kukah Centre, among others, called for the screening to be televised and inclusive of citizen and civil society input through memoranda, petitions, and participation in the confirmation hearings.

A key demand from the CSOs is that the Senate must undertake a rigorous examination of the nominee’s:

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Competence and public records.

Vision for electoral reform and INEC’s institutional strengthening.

Capacity to resist political interference and uphold electoral integrity.

Furthermore, the CSOs urged the Senate to interrogate Professor Amupitan’s plans for addressing systemic electoral challenges, including issues related to voter registration, result transmission, and the enforcement of INEC’s regulations and guidelines.

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The organizations stressed that the current state of Nigeria’s electoral process demands a “fiercely independent INEC, immune to political manipulation.” They posited that the next INEC Chairman must demonstrate moral courage and an unwavering commitment to credible elections, echoing the need for a non-partisan commission as recommended by previous electoral reform interventions like the Justice Uwais and Ken Nnamani committee reports. They concluded by reiterating their longstanding call for a transparent, inclusive, and citizens-centred appointment process.