The Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, has said that the forthcoming Anambra Governorship Election will be the first major test for the newly confirmed Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Joash Amupitan.

Itodo, in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, said that despite Professor Amupitan’s credentials and experience reflecting capacity and intellect, his real test begins once he assumes duty on electoral matters.

“Based on his credentials, he has the capacity. Does he have the mental stamina and ability? It is clear from today that he does.

“But this is a screening; when he gets into office, he is going to face a major test. The first major test is the Anambra election, which is only a few weeks away,” Itodo stated.

The Anambra Governorship Election will be held on November 8, 2025, and is expected to involve about 2.8 million voters and 16 political parties.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo (APGA) will seek re-election against Nicholas Ukachukwu (APC), George Moghalu (Labour Party) and other contenders.

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The YIAGA Africa director said that the senate screening had shown that the law professor possesses the capacity and integrity to lead the electoral body, but must now demonstrate courage and independence in office.

“To the best of our knowledge, there hasn’t been any petition written questioning his integrity. So, to a large extent, you can say that this individual has the moral standing and integrity to hold this office,” he said.

‘Independence To Sanction Bad Eggs’

Itodo urged the new INEC Chairman to assert his independence by ensuring corrupt officials face the full weight of the law, emphasising that integrity must permeate every level of the commission.

“He must assert independence and make bad eggs face the full wrath of the law. INEC is not about Prof. Amupitan alone. There are 12 national commissioners, 37 resident electoral commissioners, and 774 electoral officers.

“If they do not cooperate with the vision set by the chairman, and politicians compromise them, we will be back to ground zero,” he warned.

The YIAGA Africa director added that Amupitan would need more than personal integrity to manage the commission effectively.

“Having worked on elections for two decades, I can tell you he is going to need more than that in engaging INEC officials. The question is how to hold complicit officials to account, especially when some are bought over by politicians in power,” he said.

Despite commending the Senate for its robust screening, Itodo lamented that Nigerians missed an opportunity to hear the chairman’s vision on electoral reform.

“What the Senate and Nigeria actually lost was the opportunity to hear him speak to the nation about questions related to electoral justice,” he said.

Vow To ‘Review Electoral Act’

Earlier on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Amupitan as the new Chairman of the INEC after an intense two-hour screening session.

At the screening, the chairman vowed to “reform Nigeria’s electoral process to ensure credible polls where losers accept results as fair.”

He promised to “review the Electoral Act to fix timeline inconsistencies” and also denied links to any 2023 election legal teams.

The 58-year-old law professor was nominated by President Bola Tinubu and received formal endorsement from the National Council of State last week. He succeeds Mahmood Yakubu and becomes the sixth substantive INEC chairman.

Other elections on the horizon under the new chairman’s belt include the FCT Area Council Election (February 2026), the Ekiti Governorship Election (June 2026), and the Osun Governorship Election (August 2026).

Beyond these, Amupitan will oversee the 2027 General Elections, slated for February and March 2027.