President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday swore in Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the sixth substantive Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), charging him to “serve with integrity and be beyond reproach” as Nigeria’s democracy faces its next major test in the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election.
The ceremony, held in the State House Council Chamber, marked the formal handover from Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose decade-long tenure (2015–2025) oversaw four general elections and multiple off-cycle polls amid persistent credibility concerns.
“Your nomination and confirmation by the Senate are a testament to your capacity and the confidence reposed in you,” President Tinubu told the 58-year-old legal scholar and Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“This journey will be challenging, but I trust you will approach it with the highest level of integrity, dedication, and patriotism.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s 25-year democratic journey since 1999, the President hailed institutional gains in electoral reforms while stressing the non-negotiable need for unassailable credibility.
“Our democracy has come a long way. We have consolidated institutions through innovations and reforms. But the integrity of the electoral process must be beyond reproach,” he declared.
“From registration to voting, counting, and declaration, every stage must be transparent, non-violent, and credible.”
Tinubu singled out the upcoming Anambra governorship election as Amupitan’s immediate litmus test.
“It is important that our elections are free, fair, and credible. We must consistently improve, addressing yesterday’s challenges and innovating for tomorrow.”
He urged the new INEC boss to:
*Protect electoral integrity at all costs .
*Strengthen institutional independence.
*Rebuild public trust eroded by past controversies .
*Shield the process from “artificial setbacks.”
“No system is flawless,” Tinubu acknowledged, “but elections are the lifeblood of democracy. INEC must be robust, resilient, and insulated from manipulation.”
