The newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), is expected to officially assume office next week, ahead of the November 8 Anambra governorship election.
Multiple INEC officials told Punch that Amupitan will formally take charge once President Bola Tinubu administers his oath of office, a ceremony traditionally held before a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
A senior official said, “Prof. Amupitan will assume office on the day he is sworn in by the President. The tradition is that he gets sworn in before a Federal Executive Council meeting, and he would be escorted by INEC National Commissioners to resume office immediately.”
Although the exact date has not been fixed, officials within the commission said preparations are already underway for Amupitan’s takeover.
“I heard some of his personal staff have been showing up at the commission, hoping he will be sworn in during the FEC meeting,” one insider revealed.
Another added, “I learnt that he may likely assume office next week.”
When contacted, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, confirmed expectations of his arrival but noted that no official date had been communicated.
“We are expecting him but there is no information on when he will officially assume office,” she said.
Amupitan, 58, a Professor of Law at the University of Jos and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was confirmed by the Senate last Thursday following a voice vote conducted by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The confirmation came after a screening session in which he responded to wide-ranging questions from lawmakers on electoral reforms, constitutional interpretation, and international best practices.
President Tinubu had nominated him to replace Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure recently ended.
In the interim, National Commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu has been acting as INEC Chairman, presiding over recent stakeholder meetings and supervising preparations for the Anambra governorship election.
