President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm the appointment of Prof. Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The request was contained in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during Tuesday’s plenary session.

The National Council of State had on October 9 unanimously approved Prof. Amupitan’s nomination before it was forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.

Prof. Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, is to replace Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC Chairman recently expired.

In his letter, President Tinubu said the nomination was in accordance with Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, expressing confidence that the Senate would “expeditiously consider and confirm” the appointment.

“I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of Prof. Joash Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” Tinubu’s letter stated.

After reading the communication, Senate President Akpabio referred the request to the Committee of the Whole for legislative consideration.