Senator Adams Oshiomhole has cautioned the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Joash Amupitan, against appointing individuals with political affiliations especially spouses of politicians to sensitive positions within the electoral body.
Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, gave the warning on Monday during Amupitan’s screening session at the Senate in Abuja.
The former Edo State governor said such appointments could compromise the credibility and neutrality of the electoral process.
“One last point, an experience we had in Edo State, because the Senate President said we should speak from our own experiences,” Oshiomhole stated. “The chairman of a political party — one that is dying now had his wife serving as a director or heading the ICT unit of INEC in the state.”
He explained that the development created a clear conflict of interest that endangered the fairness of elections in the state.
“The husband, being the PDP chairman at the time, had his wife boasting that she could supply information that would help them deal with accreditation issues,” he alleged.
Oshiomhole maintained that INEC must be insulated from any form of political interference and urged the new chairman to develop strict internal policies that would prevent such conflicts in future.
“Will you be able, as you have assured us, to make a policy that says if you are a spouse of a politician, you cannot be given a sensitive appointment?” he asked. “We must avoid turning INEC into a family affair.”
The senator added that the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy depends largely on the impartiality of the electoral commission and the confidence of citizens in its operations.
Amupitan, who was recently nominated by President Bola Tinubu to replace Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, pledged to strengthen transparency and restore public trust in the commission’s processes if confirmed by the Senate.
