By Our Correspondent Abuja
Nigeria’s electoral umpire has drawn the first clear lines of his tenure and he is wasting no time.
Barely weeks into office, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, stepped into the Senate on Tuesday with a pointed message: fix the laws, fix the systems, educate the voters or risk undermining the next election cycle.
At his maiden interactive session with the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Prof. Amupitan laid out a reform-driven agenda anchored on electoral law overhaul, infrastructure renewal and aggressive voter education, signalling a more assertive and policy-focused leadership at the Commission.
The meeting, held at Room 107 of the Senate New Wing on December 16, was anything but routine. Amupitan arrived with the full weight of INEC’s leadership National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission and key technical aides underscoring the strategic importance he attaches to legislative engagement.
Facing him across the table were key lawmakers shaping Nigeria’s democratic rules, led by Committee Chairman Senator Simon Bako Lalong, alongside Senators Adams Oshiomhole, Tony Nwoye, Ireti Kingibe, Ede Dafinone, Emma Nwachukwu, Kelvin Chukwu and Sunday Katum.
Amupitan opened by acknowledging the Senate Committee as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s democratic architecture, reminding lawmakers that their legislative and oversight actions directly determine the credibility and stability of elections.
He described the Senate’s confirmation process as rigorous but necessary, framing it as evidence of institutional collaboration rooted in constitutional order.
The INEC Chairman revealed that barely days after assuming office, the Commission was thrust into the conduct of the Anambra Governorship Election on November 8, 2025.
The election, he noted, was concluded in a single day, a sharp departure from past experiences an outcome he credited to inter-agency cooperation and strong backing from the National Assembly and other stakeholders.
But the success, he warned, did not mask deeper structural gaps.
According to Amupitan, the Anambra exercise exposed critical lessons, particularly around logistics and operational efficiency areas that must be fixed ahead of the 2026 election calendar.
He reminded lawmakers that Nigeria’s electoral system rests on a delicate three-layer framework: the Constitution, the Electoral Act and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines.
While INEC has the authority to conduct elections and issue operational rules, he stressed that its actions must remain firmly tethered to constitutional and legislative boundaries.
In a subtle but firm nudge to the Senate, Amupitan said meaningful electoral reform cannot happen without timely legislative action, commending the National Assembly for allowing INEC input into ongoing constitutional and electoral amendments.
Looking ahead, the INEC Chairman said supporting the legislature to deliver impactful electoral reforms would be a defining priority of his tenure.
He outlined plans to strengthen electoral infrastructure and deploy technology more strategically not as a silver bullet, but as a tool to deepen transparency, credibility and inclusiveness.
Public perception, he admitted, remains one of INEC’s toughest battles.
“Expectations are high,” he said, cautioning that trust can only be rebuilt through strict adherence to constitutionalism, due process and institutional discipline.
Voter education, long treated as an afterthought, also featured prominently in Amupitan’s blueprint. He argued that informed participation by citizens is central to electoral integrity and pledged to scale up civic education efforts nationwide.
He also warned that logistics often the unseen backbone of elections will determine success or failure in upcoming polls, including the FCT Area Council election and other off-cycle contests slated for 2026.
Crucially, he noted that preparations for those elections are already racing against the clock and depend heavily on how quickly the National Assembly concludes electoral reforms.
Responding, Senate Committee Chairman Simon Bako Lalong welcomed Amupitan’s forthright approach, describing the session as a critical step in strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
He reaffirmed INEC’s central role in shaping public confidence in governance and stressed that credible elections remain the foundation of democratic legitimacy.
While congratulating the new Chairman, Lalong acknowledged that Amupitan has assumed office at a time of intense public scrutiny, rapid technological change and mounting challenges around voter trust, security and logistics.
The Senate, he assured, stands ready to provide legislative backing, budgetary support and constructive oversight while respecting INEC’s constitutional independence.
“This is not a ceremonial meeting,” Lalong said, emphasising that the session was designed for frank engagement rather than political theatre. Oversight, he added, must never be mistaken for interference.
As the meeting closed, one message stood out: Nigeria’s next electoral cycle has effectively begun not at the ballot box, but in the law books, committee rooms and planning tables of today.
