Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu, has described the newly appointed Joash Amupitan of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a person of basic integrity.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Odinkalu said he has known Amupitan for over three days – from their law school days – and believes he would do a better job than his predecessor, Mahmood Yakubu.
He said, “I know Joash (Amupitan). We were in the same law school class and we were admitted to the NBA on the same day. He is a person of basic decency and integrity.”
However, decrying the influence of politicians on the staff and hierarchy of the electoral body, the former NHRC chair said he offers his prayers for Amupitan to succeed.
According to Odinkalu, the new INEC chairman would be tested, and his first trial on the job would be the off-season governorship election in Anambra, which has been scheduled to take place in November 2025.
“INEC is a territory ruled by a lot of principalities as he is likely to find out. Politicians own a lot of staff inside INEC.
“But when I said that INEC is a place dominated by multiple principalities, that’s exactly the point I was trying to make
“There is no senior politician, from the presidency to state governors, who does not have a plant in INEC.
“I’m not a particularly religious person, but I’ll tell him that because he is who he is, I’ll be praying for him,” he added.