INEC Is Dominated by Multiple Principalities — I’ll Be Praying for Amupitan, Says Odinkalu

Former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu, has described the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, as a man of integrity but warned that his values would be tested by entrenched interests within the commission.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Odinkalu said Amupitan’s honesty is not in question, yet the environment he is stepping into poses significant challenges. He described INEC as an institution “dominated by multiple principalities,” where political interference and divided loyalties among staff have made effective management difficult.

“There is no senior politician, from the presidency to state governors, who does not have a plant in INEC,” Odinkalu said. “I’m not a particularly religious person, but I’ll tell him that because he is who he is, I’ll be praying for him.”

Odinkalu urged the new chairman to set clear priorities and measurable goals for his tenure, warning that public judgment would come swiftly, beginning with the upcoming Anambra governorship election scheduled for November 8.

He described the Anambra poll as Amupitan’s first major test, noting that Nigerians will closely watch how he handles the process. “He cannot fix everything in one day,” Odinkalu said. “With the time he’s got, and given the damage that Mahmood Yakubu did to INEC, he must decide what his priorities are and how to measure progress. People are not going to give him any free passes.”

According to him, the Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun governorship elections will serve as “laboratories” for testing Amupitan’s leadership ahead of the 2027 general election.

Odinkalu expressed personal confidence in the new chairman, recalling their shared history at the Nigerian Law School. “Joash is a person of basic decency and integrity,” he said. “My hope is that when his tenure ends, he will leave INEC as the same Joash I have known for nearly four decades. Joash will not administer an election, like in Edo state, where there are four results.”

At Amupitan’s swearing-in ceremony earlier on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu also described the November 8 Anambra election as a “litmus test” for his leadership.