The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified that its Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, is currently away from Abuja on an official assignment.
Responding to public enquiries regarding the Chairman’s whereabouts, the Commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, stated that Professor Amupitan is on official duty outside the Federal Capital Territory. She further noted that the Chairman has the authority to delegate his responsibilities to any National Commissioner of the Commission.
The clarification follows questions raised after National Commissioner Professor Rhoda Gumus represented the Commission as Acting Chairman during an engagement with the African Union Pre-Election and Needs Assessment Mission at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
Professor Amupitan has been engaged in international partnership activities related to electoral technology and integrity. Recent engagements include meetings on the sidelines of the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections in Ottawa, Canada, as well as strategic discussions with officials of Microsoft and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) on emerging technologies, cybersecurity, and the application of responsible artificial intelligence to strengthen the security and resilience of electoral processes.