I’ll reject political appointments after INEC tenure, Amupitan says

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has ruled out accepting political or diplomatic appointments after completing his tenure at the electoral body, saying his appointment is based on public trust.

Amupitan made the declaration on Thursday during a panel discussion at Chatham House in London, titled “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”

He was responding to a question on whether he would decline political or diplomatic appointments after leaving office, unlike his predecessor, Mahmood Yakubu, who was recently appointed Nigeria’s non-career ambassador to Qatar.

Yakubu was among 32 ambassadorial nominees whose names President Bola Tinubu forwarded to the Senate for confirmation in November 2025.

Amupitan said accepting the INEC chairmanship came with a responsibility to remain neutral and ensure that elections were conducted freely, fairly and credibly.

“I’m not going to accept any appointment from anybody because coming to serve here is based on trust,” he said.

He added that his appointment was a national assignment and that he had spent much of his life in public service.

The INEC chairman, however, suggested that he would want to devote more time to personal interests after leaving office.

“Because I’m a professor of corporate governance. I know where the hidden wealths are in this world, part of which are in Nigeria. So, a lot of people are looking for it. I should also be part of it,” he said.