For Anambra Guber, All Eyes on Amupitan

If the adage which says that a child’s first steps determine his future holds true, then the November 8, 2025, governorship election in Anambra State will serve as a litmus test for the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, and his commitment to credible elections, Davidson  Iriekpen  writes

On November 8, 2025, the people of Anambra State will head to the polls to elect the next governor, who will oversee the state’s affairs for the next four years.

The responsibility of conducting the poll rests squarely with the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, who assumed office penultimate week after being sworn in by President Bola Tinubu.

Under the immediate past INEC leadership led by Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the commission had become a scourge, which drastically made Nigerians lose interest in the country’s electoral process.

Acknowledging these frustrations, Amupitan, while speaking at the INEC headquarters in Abuja during his inaugural meeting with directors, vowed to uphold the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process, describing it as “non-negotiable.” He pledged to deliver free, fair and credible elections that will reflect the true will of Nigerians.

Amupitan re-echoed this promise during his screening by the Senate on October 16, when he said that under his watch, losers would congratulate winners after elections. He promised to demonstrate his commitment to credible polls with the November 8 Anambra State governorship election.

“The eyes of the nation are upon us, and it is our duty to rise to that occasion. Credibility in our elections is paramount, and we must ensure that every voter feels confident that their vote will count. Because that is a constitutional task,” he said, emphasising the need for unity.

He continued: “Let us restore the confidence of every voter that whenever there is an election, their vote will count, so that we can address this issue of voter apathy in our nation. Let us break down silos. I must stress that we should not compromise our values or processes, as that could have consequences. The integrity of our elections is not even something we should negotiate.”

Amupitan admitted that the upcoming Anambra State governorship election is not just another electoral exercise, but a pivotal opportunity to demonstrate the commission’s commitment to free, fair, and credible elections. He noted that all eyes of the nation would be on the commission, urging every staff member to rise to that occasion.

Describing his appointment as a divine call, the new INEC chairman said he is ready to play his role in ensuring the birth of a new Nigeria anchored on democracy and transparency. He said that many people he had met recently had said they pitied him and did not envy his new position.

Also, while addressing participants at the 56th Annual Conference of Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT) in Abuja last Monday, Amupitan equally said elections must be won and lost at the polling units, adding the country could no longer afford a situation where the courts would continue to decide winners of elections.

While promising to curb the rising tide of pre-election litigations, which he said “have long burdened Nigeria’s electoral process” he pointed out that if necessary reforms were made, losers in elections would not hesitate to congratulate the winners.

He further used the occasion to again reaffirm his commitment to uphold integrity, fairness, and transparency in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Indications that Amupitan has no reason to disappoint Nigerians in his duty had emerged when President Tinubu who appointed him, publicly tasked him with ensuring that the forthcoming Anambra governorship election serves as a model of credibility and transparency.

Charging him ahead of the governorship election, the president said the poll would be a “litmus test” for his leadership and the commission’s commitment to credible elections. He urged him to discharge his duties with integrity, dedication, and a sense of patriotism.

Tinubu emphasised that the election’s credibility must be beyond doubt, adding that transparency, non-violence, and fairness should define every stage of the process, noting that credible elections are essential to sustaining public trust and deepening democratic governance.

“I therefore charge you, Professor Amupitan, as you take on this important assignment to preserve the integrity of our elections and electoral process and strengthen the institutional capacity of INEC,” the president stated.

Since 1999, Nigeria’s democratic journey has been marked by moments of promise and peril. Each electoral cycle brings with it a mix of hope and frustration. From the heavily disputed elections of the early 2000s to the relative improvements witnessed in 2011 and 2015, Nigerians have remained firm in their demand for a process that genuinely reflects their will.

However, the 2023 general election and all the subsequent off-cycle polls, though technologically ambitious with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and IReV portal, exposed deep operational and institutional flaws.

This made the former chairman of the commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, to warn recently that Nigeria’s democracy risked collapse unless urgent measures were taken to restore integrity and public trust in the electoral process.

In a keynote address entitled, ‘Electoral Integrity as a Panacea for Democratic Development in Nigeria,’ at the ninth Convocation Ceremony of National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Jega, who oversaw the 2011 and 2015 elections, said democracy could not thrive where elections are manipulated, institutions are compromised, and citizens lost faith in the process that determined their leaders.

He lamented that 25 years after Nigeria’s return to civil rule and the country’s democratic journey have remained “challenging, if not disappointing,” because the electoral process has consistently failed to inspire confidence or produce truly representative leadership.

According to him, elections that lack integrity undermine democracy, weaken public trust, and lead to governance failure. He warned that when politicians are allowed to manipulate the process, the outcome inevitably produces unresponsive leaders, who would fail to deliver good governance.

Though Amupitan inherited a burden of disillusionment, nevertheless, as the man in charge of Nigeria’s electoral commission, many expect him, based on his much-touted integrity and credibility, to use the Anambra elections to address the credibility deficit that followed previous elections, and avoid further voter apathy and civic disengagement.

It is not enough for him to make lofty promises; he must demonstrate, through concrete actions, that he understands the magnitude of his responsibility. He must use the Anambra election as his foremost task to rebuild trust.

The INEC chair must know that trust, once broken, is not easily restored. Nigerians must see in him a man committed to the sanctity of the ballot, not a servant of political interests. His background as an academic and legal scholar should serve as a guiding compass for impartiality and adherence to the principles of due process.

Finally, Amupitan must also prevail on INEC officials to ensure that they do not in anyway sabotage the process. In recent times, Nigerians have continued to witness the biases exhibited by the commission’s officials during elections, thereby tainting the polls and embarrassing the nation.

Democracy is not all about casting ballots; it also includes those who manage the process, their level of credibility, and integrity.

Democracy thrives when arbiters remain neutral, courageous, and consistent in the face of political pressure. Nigeria’s democratic future and socio-economic development depend on bold and unbiased decisions.