Newly nominated INEC chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan.

The Secretary general of the new Nigeria people’s Party NNPP, Comrade Oginni Olaposi Sunday has expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s choice of Prof Joash Amupitan as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

Meanwhile, the party has made a strong case for an urgent introduction of electoral reforms that would eliminate what it described as systemic corruption in the system that has eroded confidence in the system with a view to regaining the trust and confidence of the Nigerians.

Comrade Oginni spoke against the background of the usual controversies surrounding appointment of INEC chairmen in Nigeria

Recall that the National Council of State had approved the appointment of Amupitan to take over from Prof Mahmoud Yakubu as INEC chairman.

According to Oginni, Amupitan already has his work cut out for him and should hit the ground running as soon as his appointment is confirmed by the National Assembly.

“The first task for Amupitan is to change the narratives of bartered image of INEC and return the trust of Nigerians on the umpire.

“INEC’s image has been so eroded over the years that the first task before Amupitan is to fight systemic corruption and the wrongs of the Commission and creating confidence and trust.

“Amupitan needs to study the commission thoroughly and correct issues currently before the commission that Mahmoud ignored. Make appropriate recommendations to Mr. President on who should stay or leave the commission for sanity to reign”, he said.

According to Oginni, President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council members must have seen Amupitan’s capacity before nominating him, pointing out that the President is truly committed to right the wrongs in Nigeria, and may be starting from INEC.

“What we need in Nigeria at the moment shall be leaders who can take informed and hard decisions if we must reevent Nigeria of our dreams

“Our experience with INEC over the internal leadership crisis in our great party have given us an insight over the ills of the commission on how the body works.

For the immediate past leadership of INEC to ignore subsisting court orders and directives to upload the NNPP new national executives was a shocker and very shameful to constitutional democracy

“What could have stopped the former INEC boss from obeying the court orders needed to be researched. These and many more are part of issues that can erode a people’s confidence on an institution.