Buhari’s aide questions Amupitan’s silence over Osun election

By Philippine Duru

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Former media aide to late President Muhammadu Buhari, Shehu Garba, has questioned the silence of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, following what he described as widespread commendation of the commission’s conduct of the Osun State governorship election.
Garba, in a post on X, said he had never met Amupitan and initially opposed his appointment as INEC chairman because of concerns over a 2020 legal brief attributed to him, in which the professor allegedly described violence in Nigeria as a Muslim pogrom against Christians.
He said the violence in the country had affected people across religious and linguistic lines, adding that the position attributed to Amupitan made him, among others, question whether he was suitable to lead the electoral commission.
According to Garba, Nigeria’s electoral process had progressively improved under previous INEC chairmen, particularly Professor Attahiru Jega and Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
He described Jega’s tenure as producing Nigeria’s best election since the disputed June 12, 1993 presidential election, which produced the late Chief MKO Abiola as the recognised winner.
Garba also credited Yakubu with strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s elections by engaging civil society organisations and local and international observers.
“Not one election under him was ever rejected by any serious observer or CSO,” he wrote.
However, Garba said the conduct of the recent Osun election under Amupitan had surprised him, arguing that the commission had delivered a transparent electoral process that attracted commendation from civil society organisations, the European Union and other local and international observers.
He particularly praised INEC’s “seamless” uploading of the governorship election results to its Results Viewing (IReV) portal, describing the development as evidence of an improved electoral process.
Despite the commendations, Garba said he was surprised that Amupitan had not publicly celebrated the commission’s achievement.
“With all the loud acclaim that followed, however, I have been asking myself, where is the captain of the ship, Professor Amupitan?” he asked.
Garba noted that Amupitan had neither addressed the public nor appeared on television to highlight the commission’s performance 48 hours after the election.
He contrasted the INEC chairman’s silence with what he described as the tendency of public officials in Nigeria to aggressively celebrate achievements, even when their performance falls short of expectations.
“We are not used to seeing this kind of humility, patience, and restraint,” Garba said, wondering whether Amupitan should not “come out of his shell and dance to the drums in celebration.”
Garba’s comments come amid ongoing public discussions over the conduct of elections and the role of INEC in strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.