ABUJA, Nigeria (FN) — Nigeria’s newly appointed electoral chief, Professor Joash Amupitan, pledged Thursday to launch a full audit of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s operations, focusing on logistics used during the contentious 2023 general elections.
Speaking during his Senate confirmation hearing, Amupitan said the audit would identify operational failures and guide reforms aimed at restoring public confidence in the electoral process. He emphasized collaboration with civil society and lawmakers to implement corrective measures.
Amupitan, a constitutional law expert and former university dean, outlined a reform agenda that includes creating an internal ethics committee, enforcing accountability protocols, and deploying advanced technology — including drones — to improve election logistics and security.
Referencing a Supreme Court ruling, Amupitan noted that INEC’s Results Viewing Portal was not part of the official collation system, a detail he said was poorly communicated to voters. He described this as a critical lapse that undermined transparency during the last election cycle.
“Trust is the foundation of credible elections,” Amupitan told lawmakers. “We must hold ourselves accountable and pursue every complaint with seriousness and resolve.”
He also proposed the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission, arguing that INEC lacks the institutional capacity to investigate and prosecute electoral crimes. Legislative support, he said, would be essential to empower such a body with forensic capabilities.
Amupitan announced plans to introduce a whistleblower policy to expose misconduct within the commission and among election stakeholders. He said the initiative would be backed by legal safeguards to protect informants and ensure follow-through on credible reports.
On election security, Amupitan vowed to reach all voting areas, including remote regions, using enhanced logistics and aerial surveillance. “No eligible voter will be left behind,” he said, adding that coordination with national security agencies would be intensified.
He also called for expanded civic education to strengthen democratic participation, promising aggressive outreach campaigns and capacity-building for election officials and volunteers.
Addressing the issue of real-time result transmission, Amupitan said legislative clarity was needed to resolve ambiguities in the Electoral Act. He pledged to streamline election timelines and enforce strict financial oversight to ensure resources are used efficiently and transparently.
