Key Points

• Amupitan vows to deliver credible elections where losers accept results.

• INEC to audit IReV and strengthen election technology.

• Senate confirms Amupitan, urges him to make every vote count.

The new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has promised that elections under his leadership will be credible enough for losers to congratulate winners.

Amupitan made the statement while addressing senators during his confirmation as INEC chairman in Abuja.

He said his vision is to make the commission a trusted institution that upholds fairness and transparency in every election.

“Our goal is to make elections so credible that even losers will congratulate winners,” he told lawmakers.

“Just like in a fair judgment, everyone will accept the outcome as just.”

He added that the success of his plan would depend on close collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission, the Nigerian Communications Commission, and other government agencies.

INEC boss vows to fix IReV glitches and audit technology

Amupitan said one of his first actions will be to audit the commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and other electoral technologies.

He acknowledged that the portal suffered credibility setbacks during the 2023 elections and said restoring public confidence in INEC’s digital systems was critical.

“I’ll conduct a full audit of IReV to determine what went wrong and how to strengthen it,” he said. “Technology should serve as a safeguard for fairness, not a source of doubt.”

He noted that the Supreme Court later clarified that IReV was not a collation system but a tool for comparison.

He promised to communicate this distinction clearly to Nigerians while ensuring that technology enhances transparency.

Amupitan also emphasized the importance of collaboration among agencies such as the NCC, NIMC, and service providers to deliver reliable technological support.

Senate confirms Amupitan, calls for every vote to count

The Senate confirmed Amupitan’s appointment after an intensive screening session lasting three hours.

Lawmakers questioned him on electoral reforms, internal discipline, and legal neutrality.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio said Amupitan’s confirmation was unanimous and urged him to ensure that every Nigerian vote counts.

“You have the backing of this chamber,” Akpabio said. “Let the people’s votes reflect their will.”

Amupitan replaces Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC chairman for a decade before stepping down on October 7.

Amupitan promises accountability, ethics, and stronger security

The new INEC chief said he would establish an Ethics and Compliance Committee within the commission to monitor staff behavior and handle reported misconduct.

He also called for an Electoral Offences Commission to prosecute cases of electoral fraud.

“We’ll introduce a whistleblower system to protect those who report misconduct,” he said.

“We’ll also strengthen logistics and security by working with the Joint Committee on Election Security to safeguard materials and personnel.”

Amupitan added that he would consider deploying drones to secure election materials and address logistics challenges in remote areas.

He assured senators that financial prudence would guide the commission’s operations.

“Our goal is simple,” he said. “We want elections that Nigerians can trust. The kind where the loser shakes the winner’s hand and says, ‘You won fair and square.’”