The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said he accepted the responsibility of leading Nigeria’s electoral body only after receiving what he described as a clear divine assurance.
Amupitan made the disclosure in Abuja during an end-of-tenure thanksgiving service organised by the Nigerian Baptist Convention for its outgoing President, Israel Akanji, and his wife, Victoria.
The INEC chairman said he would have declined the appointment if he lacked spiritual conviction.
“If I did not have the conviction for this job, I would not accept it,” he said.
He recalled drawing strength from what he described as a message from God before taking up the role.
“The Lord said, ‘Fear not; do not be dismayed. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you.’ I heard this clearly before I accepted this job,” Amupitan said.
According to him, the conviction has remained central to his leadership despite the complexities associated with managing elections in the country.
He expressed confidence that divine guidance had sustained him in office, noting that no challenge was insurmountable with faith.
“No matter the storm, no matter the difficulty, God is able to calm every storm. That is what God has been doing,” he added.
Amupitan also urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the electoral body, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections, expressing optimism that the polls could set a new standard.
“Continue to pray for Nigeria, continue to pray for us, and continue to pray for me that the 2027 election will be the best ever,” he said.
“I cannot do it on my own, but with the Lord on my side, it is possible, and it is doable.”
He further cautioned against taking up responsibilities without a clear sense of purpose, drawing from his experience in public service.
“My experience so far as the INEC chairman is that if God does not send you somewhere, do not go there. If God does not send you, do not do it,” he said.
Amupitan’s remarks come amid growing political attention ahead of the 2027 general elections, with issues of electoral integrity, technology deployment and voter confidence dominating public discourse.
He was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in October 2025 to succeed Mahmood Yakubu, becoming the sixth substantive chairman of the commission.
His appointment has, however, attracted scrutiny in recent weeks following allegations linked to resurfaced social media posts suggesting sympathy for the ruling All Progressives Congress during the 2023 elections.
The development has sparked criticism from opposition figures and civil society groups, some of whom have called for his resignation over concerns about the perceived neutrality of the electoral body.
The controversy intensified after digital records were said to have connected an account previously associated with him to partisan content. However, Amupitan has denied operating such an account, maintaining that he remains politically neutral.
The commission has also dismissed the allegations, describing them as attempts to undermine its leadership, while officials have defended the chairman against calls for his removal.
The pressure further increased after the African Democratic Congress demanded his resignation over separate issues relating to the party’s internal leadership dispute.
Against this backdrop, Amupitan’s emphasis on faith and divine guidance is seen by observers as both a personal reflection and a response to concerns over public confidence in the electoral body ahead of the next general elections.
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