The newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, will formally assume office on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

According to an internal communication at INEC signed by Deputy Director of Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, for the Director, Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), the inaugural meeting between the new chairman and INEC directors will hold at 1:30 p.m. in the Conference Hall of the Commission.

It is expected that Amupitan will resume after his swearing-in by President Bola Tinubu. Amupitan’s appointment followed the completion of the two-term tenure of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who served as chairman from 2015 to 2025, overseeing two general elections and several off-cycle polls across the country.

Members of key Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have urged the INEC boss to consolidate on the gains and reforms achieved under the immediate past Chairman, Yakubu.

They stated that sustaining the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process requires the collective commitment of political parties, the judiciary, security agencies, and citizens.

The stakeholders made the call on Wednesday at a colloquium organised by the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) to celebrate achievements and reforms INEC recorded under Yakubu.

The colloquium, themed “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Reflections on a Decade of INEC Leadership,” brought together political leaders, academics, and civil society actors, who agreed that consolidating on the institutional and technological foundations laid under Yakubu’s leadership is key to building a more credible, transparent, and resilient electoral system in Nigeria.

Speaking, Deputy National Chairman of IPAC, Hon. Dipo Olayoku, described the conduct of elections in Nigeria as one of the most complex national responsibilities, noting that the problem goes beyond the electoral body itself.

According to him, conducting elections in Nigeria is no easy task, adding that many Nigerians still believe that once they take part in an election, they must win

“We all remember the ‘do-or-die’ politics of 2007. That mindset remains one of the biggest challenges facing our democracy”, he said. He commended Yakubu for introducing technology-driven reforms that have improved transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral system.

“Through the use of technology, Professor Yakubu made our elections more credible and acceptable. His innovations have brought a new level of transparency to Nigeria’s electoral process,” he stated.

Olayoku, however, lamented that the absence of accountability for electoral offences continues to undermine progress, saying when wrongdoing goes unpunished, even reform-minded leaders can only do so much.

Echoing similar sentiments, the Executive Director of the Pioneering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Nigeria (PAACA), Chief Ezenwa Nwagwu, said Yakubu’s tenure marked a period of remarkable innovation.

He noted the digitisation of electoral processes, particularly the electronic transmission of results via the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as a transformative step that promoted greater transparency.