The Senate on Thursday confirmed Mr Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mr Amupitan, a professor of Law, was confirmed by the upper chamber after his screening today.
His confirmation came after over two hours of questioning by senators, who pressed him on how he plans to restore credibility to Nigeria’s electoral process and implement meaningful reforms within the commission.
The 58-year-old Kogi indigene was nominated by President Bola Tinubu and received formal endorsement from the National Council of State last Thursday.
Mr Amupitan becomes the sixth substantive Chairman of INEC, succeeding Mr Mahmood Yakubu, who has officially concluded his tenure as the INEC boss.
At about 12:50 pm, the nominee was ushered into the Senate chamber by the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Mr Abubakar Lado, and was already seated ahead of the commencement of the exercise.
The screening exercise commenced at about 12:55 p.m. following Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s opening remarks, during which he outlined the procedures to be followed by the lawmakers in considering the nominee’s credentials.
The screening session focused on Amupitan’s vision for credible elections, his plans for institutional reforms within INEC, and measures to deepen the use of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Following his confirmation by the Senate, Mr Amupitan will oversee preparations for upcoming off-cycle governorship elections and lay the groundwork for the 2027 general elections.