The North-Central Forum of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed confidence that newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, will deliver credible, free and fair elections.
On Thursday, the Council of State unanimously approved President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), from Kogi State, as replacement for Mahmood Yakubu, who left the role last week.
In a statement in Abuja on Saturday by the Chairman of APC North-Central Forum, Saleh Zazzaga, who is also a member of the APC campaign council in the 2023 election, the forum lauded the National Council of State for approving Amupitan’s appointment as INEC chairman.
It assured Tinubu and all Nigerians that Amupitan will deliver credible elections all through his tenure as head of Nigeria’s electoral umpire.
The Forum, comprising APC stakeholders from the North-Central, thanked Tinubu for finding somebody from the region worthy of handling the sensitive assignment of overseeing Nigeria’s electoral system.
“The North-Central APC Forum has welcomed with gladness and a sense of pride, the appointment of one of the region’s illustrious sons, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“This development is further attestation of the calibre of human resources in the North-Central, which are readily available to be deployed in various critical and sensitive roles for the development of the nation.
“We commend President Bola Tinubu for appointing Professor Amupitan as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and also thank the National Council of State for approving the appointment.
“Professor Amupitan’s track record, as an accomplished legal scholar and practitioner, university administrator and illustrious academia, shows that he has the capacity for the job, especially as he is coming on board at a time Nigerians are getting set for crucial elections.
“Having followed Professor Amupitan’s career over the years and taking special note of his distinguished role at the University of Jos, where, as a Professor of Law, he has lectured and mentored generations of lawyers and academics for over three decades, we can assure President Tinubu and Nigerians that Professor Amupitan will deliver credible, free and fair elections all through his tenure as INEC chairman.
“We are certain that Professor Amupitan is the right choice, a round peg in a round hole, and we call on all Nigerians, particularly stakeholders in the electoral system, to give him all the necessary support to succeed in this crucial national assignment,” the statement read.
