The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan says he accepted the responsibility of leading Nigeria’s electoral body only after receiving “a clear divine conviction that God would strengthen and help him in office”.
Speaking in Abuja at an end of tenure and appreciation service organised by the Nigerian Baptist Convention for its outgoing president, Israel Akanji, and his wife, Victoria, Amupitan said he would have declined the appointment if he didn’t secure that spiritual assurance.
He pointed out that his 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.
“If I did not have the conviction for this job, I would not accept it,” he said.
Recalling the moment he decided to take up the role, the INEC chairman said he drew strength from “a clear message from God” who said to him: “‘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 God has been on his side since his assumption of office and called for prayers from Nigeria to make the 2027 general elections the best ever.
He said conviction had remained the anchor of his stewardship at the commission, despite challenges associated with managing elections in a complex democratic environment.
According to him, divine guidance has sustained him since assuming office, adding that no storm was beyond God’s power to calm. “No matter the storm, no matter the difficulty, God is able to calm every storm. That is what God has been doing,” he said.
While expressing confidence that the next polls could set a new benchmark, the INEC Chairman said, “I cannot do it on my own, but with the Lord on my side, it is possible, and it is doable.”
Amupitan went on to reflect more broadly on public service and ministry, cautioning against taking up responsibilities without a clear sense of purpose.
