The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The confirmation took place at about 3:17 p.m. after Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the nomination to a voice vote, which received an overwhelming “aye” from lawmakers.
Before that, the nominee was grilled for over two hours by senators during the plenary.
The screening exercise began around 12:50 p.m. after the Senate suspended its rules to allow strangers into the chamber.
President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday transmitted Amupitan’s name to the Senate for confirmation, following the completion of the tenure of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who served two terms as INEC Chairman.
Last week, the President formally presented Amupitan as his preferred choice to lead the electoral commission. His nomination was later approved by the Council of State, which unanimously endorsed him as the next INEC Chairman.
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During the meeting, Tinubu noted that Amupitan, a native of Kogi State in the North Central region, is the first person from the state to be nominated for the position.
