*Says integrity of elections not negotiable
*Pledges to make staff welfare priority
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The new Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan on Thursday formally assumed office with a declaration that the eyes of Nigerians are on the Commission.
This is as Amupitan has made it clear that the upcoming Anambra State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, November 8 this year is not just another electoral exercise, stressing that it represents an opportunity for INEC to demonstrate it’s commitment to free, fair and credible elections.
The new Chairman spoke during his inaugural meeting with the INEC National Commissioners, Directors and other staff of the commission at its Zambezi headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
He harped on the need for all staff to work together in unity, stressing that there should be synergy and collaboration among our various units.
The former Deputy Vice Chancellor of University of Jos, Plateau State, who was swore-in by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, before coming to the INEC headquarters, maintained stoutly that the credibility of the commission’s election is paramount, and as such everything must be done to ensure that every voter feels confident that his vote will count.
Amupitan, who was accompanied to the inaugural meeting with the INEC staff by his wife, (also a professor of Law), his children, the Vice Chancellor, the Registrar and some top staff of University of Jos, warned, sternly, that the values of the nation’s electoral processes must not be compromised, stressing that doing so will have serious consequences.
His words, “The upcoming Anambra State governorship election is not just another electoral exercise. It represents an opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to free, fair and credible elections.
“The eyes of the nation are upon us, and it is our duty to rise to that occasion.
“Our preparation, no matter how good it may be, is as good as the cooperation and support we receive from the stakeholders, including politicians and the general public.
“So, eyes of Nigeria are upon us today. I am before you, and I’m emphasizing the need for us to work together in unity, and there should be that synergy and collaboration among our various units.
“As have been informed, the credibility of our election is paramount, and we must ensure that every voter feels confident that his vote will count. “Please, because that is a constitutional task, and let’s restore back the confidence of every voter that whenever there is an election, their votes will count so that we can address this in your voter apparatus.
“Let us break down silos. Now I must stress that we should not compromise our values of processes as that will have consequences.
‘So the integrity of our elections is not even something we should negotiate, please”, he stressed.
Continuing, Amupitan said, “Well, this is supposed to be just an interaction, but as I was leaving the state house, the first question that was asked was, okay : what do you want to do now, Anambra?
“I refused to talk about Anambra until I’ve come to meet with the staff, and also Mr. President, in his remark, also echoed the same that we should do everything possible as we go into Anambra election, leave this country with fair, free and credible election.
‘So please, I want us to work together to achieve this purpose.
“I want to say that for me, staff welfare is going to be my priority, because we are going to be expecting so much from you. Your welfare is going to be a priority, and I assure you that we’ll work as seriously and tirelessly to ensure that our working conditions are conducive and that our staff are equipped with necessary resources to excel.
“Together, let us uphold the values of democracy and work tirelessly for the credibility of our elections. The task may be challenging, but if we stand united, there is nothing we cannot achieve.
I want to thank you for your commitment, your service, and I look forward to working closely with all of you as we pass on this very, very important mission.
“Maybe if I had a choice, I will say I will not come here, but when, from all indications, I could see that God is moving in this country, and my coming is divine. I’m here because I have a role to play. I have a role to play to ensure that”, he stated.
He stressed further, “I am indeed very honored to be with you today (Thursday) as your new chairman, and as we’ve marked the beginning of a new chapter, I want to assure you of my commitment of holding the highest standard of integrity, transparency and discipline in all our operations.
“I want to give you that assurance, and also to let you know that our mandate is very clear as INEC. INEC has a constitutional responsibility and a statutory mandate, as we all know, our mandate is clear, and that is to deliver free, fair and credible elections that reflects the will of Nigerian people.
“To achieve this, we must work together as a team. So that’s why it was so important for us to start our assignment with this interaction.
“We have to be team players, and some of you must have listened to my CV. So while we look at the CVs of individuals, we also look at how it’s tied to your overall performance as a team player, which is very, very crucial for us. “Therefore, to achieve this, we have to work together, leveraging on our unique skills and expertise and improve our own process.
“So the essence is to crack your brains so that we’ll be able to achieve our mandates.
“As we gather for this meeting, it’s important to acknowledge the critical role, that of the future of Nigeria”, he said.
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