New INEC Chairman Amupitan Vows to Restore Electorate Trust and Deliver Credible Polls

Professor Joash Amupitan, the newly sworn-in Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has immediately pledged to restore public confidence in the electoral system by delivering elections that are demonstrably free, fair, and credible. President Bola Tinubu administered the oath of office to the new chairman on Thursday, October 23, 2025.

Dependable NG reports that in his inaugural address to the Commission’s staff, Professor Amupitan stated that a paramount task of his administration will be to ensure the electorate fully realises that their votes genuinely count. He stressed that without the unwavering trust of Nigerians, the democratic process cannot thrive.

The new INEC Chairman announced that his immediate focus would be the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, which is scheduled for November 8, 2025, according to INEC’s official timetable. He called on all staff of the Commission to dedicate themselves to upholding the highest standards of credibility in the highly anticipated poll.

“Let us uphold the values of democracy and work tirelessly for the credibility of all elections,” the Chairman charged the staff. He issued a strong warning against any form of compromise, asserting, “Now I will stress that we should not compromise our values processes. There are consequences. So the integrity of our elections is not even something we should negotiate.”

Acknowledging the challenging nature of the task ahead, Prof. Amupitan, a seasoned Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, also made staff welfare a major priority of his tenure, stating that his emergence as the head of INEC was divine. He assured the workforce: “I assure you that we’ll work as seriously and tirelessly as possible to ensure that our working conditions are conducive and that our staff are given the necessary resources to excel.” He concluded by rallying the staff, saying, “The tasks may be challenging, but if we stand united, there is nothing we cannot achieve.”