New INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan Denies Representing Tinubu at Election Petitions Tribunal

The newly confirmed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has dismissed reports linking him to President Bola Tinubu’s legal team at the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

Amupitan made the clarification on Thursday during his screening before the Senate, following questions about his alleged role in the high-profile election case.

Addressing the issue, the 58-year-old law professor stated that official court documents clearly show he was never part of the counsel that appeared for Tinubu or any of the parties involved in the petition.

“You also talked about whether I was part of the presidential election team. I have also read it. It is very simple to answer. The law reports on those cases have been out. And even when I was coming, I decided to have certified true copies of the counsel that appeared. I never, I did not appear in the presidential election tribunal and at the Supreme Court,” Amupitan said in response to Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West).

He further denied representing the opposition candidates—Peter Obi of the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—in the election petition proceedings.

“I was not part of it,” he said when Senate President Godswil Akpabio sought clarification on whether he had worked with any of the opposition legal teams.

Following over two hours of screening and questioning, the Senate confirmed Amupitan’s appointment as INEC Chairman. Lawmakers grilled him on his plans to strengthen electoral transparency, reform internal processes, and rebuild public trust in the commission.

Amupitan, nominated by President Bola Tinubu and endorsed by the National Council of State last week, succeeds Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who recently concluded his tenure as INEC Chairman.

CHANNELS