Ahead of today’s Senate screening of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Northern Nigeria Minorities Group has raised an alarm over attempts to ethnicise his appointment.
In a statement issued in Kaduna on Tuesday, the group expressed consternation over what it described as “divisive commentaries and social media tirades” questioning President Bola Tinubu’s choice of the Kogi-born scholar.
The NNMG’s Convener, Chief Jacob Edi, who signed the statement, emphasised that Amupitan, an indigene of the Okun ethnic group in Kogi State, represents one of the minority nationalities in northern Nigeria and that his appointment should be celebrated rather than politicised.
“We view with consternation the ongoing attempts by certain individuals and interest groups to ethnicise the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,” Edi stated.
He expressed particular concern that “some self-styled northern voices” were portraying the President’s decision as an act of ethnic preference, describing such a narrative as “false, dangerous, and inimical to national unity.”
Edi, who also holds the title of Kakaki Basanghe, provided historical context, noting that this is the first time in 65 years—since the establishment of a statutory electoral commission in 1959—that someone from a northern minority group has been appointed to lead the nation’s electoral body.
“In all these decades, no northern minority group has ever questioned the decisions of successive Heads of State or Presidents to appoint individuals they felt comfortable working with, even when the North-West and North-East held the position consecutively for 15 years,” the statement added.
The group traced what it called an “unfortunate trend” of delegitimising northern minority appointments to the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when such appointments were derisively dismissed as “not northern enough.”
“The current ethnicisation of Professor Amupitan’s appointment is a direct continuation of that ugly and retrogressive trend, and it must stop,” Edi declared.
The NNMG stressed that the North should not be defined by ethnicity but by inclusiveness and diversity, warning that those peddling divisive narratives were “the real enemies of national unity and progress.”
It outlined its growing concern that some northern colleagues continue to perceive northern minorities “merely as fillers of demography, unworthy of the privileges and recognition that come with our place in the federation.”
“Such thinking is antiquated, divisive, and inimical to the spirit of modern governance,” the group asserted.
According to the NNMG, 65 years after independence, Nigeria should be guided by competence, integrity, and capacity rather than ethnic considerations.
“The appointment of Professor Amupitan should be celebrated as a bold step toward inclusivity, equity, and meritocracy. These are values that must be internalised if we are to strengthen our democracy,” the statement added.
While commending President Tinubu for “recognising the diversity of the North,” the group said the President deserves credit for giving all constituent groups in the region a sense of belonging through his recent appointments.
The group also maintained that northern minorities play a crucial role in stabilising the Nigerian federation, noting that collectively they represent “the real majority” that continues to believe in the unity and progress of the nation.
“We must reiterate, without ambiguity, that northern minorities collectively constitute the true stabilising force of this federation — and when placed together, we are not just minorities; we are the real majority that believes in the unity and progress of Nigeria,” Edi stated.
He concluded by calling for an end to the politicisation of national appointments and urged Nigerians to rally behind Professor Amupitan as he prepares to lead the electoral commission.
“Let competence and fairness, not ethnicity, define our national discourse. The success of Nigeria’s democracy depends on it,” Edi added.
The Senate screening of Professor Amupitan, scheduled for Thursday at the Senate Chamber, National Assembly Complex, comes barely 24 hours after President Tinubu’s letter seeking his speedy confirmation was read on the Senate floor.
In his letter, Tinubu had stated that the appointment was made “in line with Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)” and urged lawmakers to grant it their “usual expeditious consideration.”
Today’s screening is expected to be closely watched nationwide, as it will set the tone for electoral reforms and test the administration’s commitment to credible polls ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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