The nominee for Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), appeared before the Senate for screening, where he promised to carry out a “comprehensive audit” of the commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV) to address the failures that caused the system to “undermined public confidence” during the 2023 general elections.
Amupitan asserted that the audit would clarify the nature of the glitches and assess the system’s current capabilities.
He stated, “I have to audit the system, if I’m given the opportunity, to see what is actually wrong and whether we have what it takes as it is now,” to the Senate.
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The nominee explained that while the IReV and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) were meant to increase transparency, the technical issues in the 2023 polls “raised concerns about the system’s effectiveness.”
He pointed out that the IReV was intended purely as a tool for verification and not to replace manual result collation. He noted that inadequate explanation of this distinction caused the misunderstanding that followed the portal’s use.
He clarified, “The Supreme Court has clarified that IReV is not an electronic collation system. However, it was meant to provide checks and balances to enhance credibility. Unfortunately, this was not properly explained before the election.”
Amupitan vowed that “trust and ethical conduct” would be the core principles of his tenure. He promised to establish internal controls, saying, “I think that trust is a major concern. We will work out an internal mechanism to try the behaviour of humans. I’m taking this position on trust, and my people must also appreciate that they hold their positions on trust.”
To deal with past complaints, he added, “We will set up an ethical committee to review what has happened in the past because complaints have been made, yet no action has been taken. We will pursue every complaint and follow through.”
He also emphasized that improving election technology requires broad cooperation with key agencies like the NCC, NIMC, and service providers.
“It is not just INEC’s responsibility. Other institutions that support the process must also work together to ensure that Nigerians can trust the technology we deploy,” he added.
Regarding institutional autonomy, Amupitan noted that INEC’s independence is often compromised by late funding, acknowledging, “Although the law provides that funds should be released a year before elections, in practice, this has not always been done on time. This creates financial constraints for the commission,”.
He promised to examine all legal frameworks to guarantee the commission’s independence, concluding: “We will look at the spirit and letter of the Constitution, as well as the laws made by the National Assembly, to ensure that INEC truly operates as an independent body. We shall audit the system and deal with any challenges accordingly,”.
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