The Founder of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr Boniface Aniebonam, has declared his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nomination of Prof. Joash Amupitan as the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Aniebonam stated this on Sunday in Lagos while reacting to ongoing controversies surrounding Amupitan’s appointment.
The National Council of State had, on October 7, approved the appointment of Prof. Amupitan to succeed Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu as INEC Chairman, pending confirmation by the Senate.
Dr Aniebonam said the incoming electoral chief faces a daunting task of rebuilding public confidence in the commission, whose credibility has suffered in recent years.
“The first task for Amupitan is to change the battered image of INEC and restore the trust of Nigerians in the umpire,” he said. “INEC’s image has been so eroded over the years that his first responsibility is to right the wrongs of the commission and rebuild public confidence.”
He added that the new chairman must study the institution closely and address critical issues that his predecessor left unattended.
Aniebonam noted that President Tinubu’s nomination of Amupitan reflected his commitment to reforming key national institutions.
“President Tinubu and members of the Federal Executive Council must have assessed his capacity before nominating him,” he said. “Nigeria needs leaders who can take informed and hard decisions if we must reinvent the nation of our dreams.”
The NNPP founder also recalled his party’s experiences with INEC during internal crises, accusing the former leadership of disobeying court orders regarding the recognition of the party’s new executives.
“For the immediate past INEC leadership to ignore subsisting court orders directing it to upload the NNPP’s new national executives was a shocker and a shame to constitutional democracy,” he said. “What could have stopped the former INEC boss from obeying court orders should be looked into.”
Aniebonam further alleged that some officials within INEC tampered with the NNPP’s logo and colour without the consent of its founding members or holders of the party’s original registration certificate.
“It is unbelievable that INEC could alter the NNPP’s symbols without verifying the party’s original documents,” he said. “This means anyone could walk into INEC and change the logo of any political party.”
He urged Prof. Amupitan, once confirmed, to urgently resolve pending issues, ensure obedience to court judgments, and uphold transparency in the commission’s operations.
Aniebonam, however, assured that the NNPP would work with President Tinubu’s administration to support the new INEC leadership.
“We will give him maximum support and pray he remains focused and not distracted in carrying out his duties,” he said.