I Will Audit 2023 Election Logistics; INEC New Chairman, Prof Amupitan Vows
The newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, has announced plans to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Commission’s operations, focusing particularly on the logistics used during the 2023 general elections.
Amupitan disclosed this on Thursday during his screening before the Senate Committee of the Whole, stating that the audit would help identify challenges faced by the electoral body and enable the development of practical solutions in collaboration with key stakeholders.
Citing a Supreme Court ruling, the INEC boss noted that the Commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IREV) was never part of the official results collation system.
He, however, stressed that Nigerians were not properly informed of this fact before the 2023 elections, a development that contributed to widespread misunderstanding about the process.
“A lot of people thought it was part of the results collation system but the Supreme Court said it is not,” he said.
He said that there is a need for an electoral offences commission to help investigate and prosecute electoral offences.
“INEC does not have the capacity for investigation and prosecution at the moment,” he said.
Recall that the National Council of State had unanimously last week approved the appointment of Professor aqAmupitan (SAN) from Kogi State as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It was reported On Tuesday that, barring any last-minute changes, President Bola Tinubu was set to appoint Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman, succeeding Professor Mahmood Yakubu after his 10-year tenure spanning two terms.
It was also reported that to formalise the appointment, the President had scheduled a meeting of the Council of State and Amupitan both a kinsman is a longtime legal counsel for Senator Dino Melaye.
