Former presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, has praised the conduct of the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election under the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, while questioning the chairman’s apparent silence following the exercise.
Shehu, who served as Senior Special Assistant to former President Muhammadu Buhari, made the remarks in a post on his X account on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, describing the election as a significant improvement in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The former presidential aide, however, said he initially had reservations about Amupitan’s appointment as INEC chairman, particularly over a 2020 legal brief attributed to him concerning religious violence in Nigeria.
“I don’t know him, and we never met. I have no reason to wish to meet him, either,” Shehu wrote.
“When they nominated him as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the nation received the shocking disclosure of his 2020 legal brief to the international community in which he claimed that the violence in the country was a Muslim pogrom against Christians.”
Shehu said the violence in Nigeria had affected people across religious and ethnic lines, adding that Amupitan’s position at the time made him question whether he was the right person to lead the electoral commission.
“The violence affected and still affects followers of all religions and speakers of every language,” he said.
“For this reason, I, among many others, felt bad about the assertion he made and assumed that he was not a good choice for that office.”
However, Shehu said Amupitan’s handling of the Osun election had significantly changed his assessment, noting that INEC’s performance had attracted commendation from civil society groups and local and international observers.
He recalled the performances of former INEC chairmen Attahiru Jega and Mahmood Yakubu, saying both made significant contributions to improving the credibility of Nigeria’s elections.
“Professor Jega gave the nation its best election since the disputed June 12, 1993, that produced Chief MKO Abiola, now recognised as a duly elected president who did not, however, take the office,” he stated.
“Professor Mahmud Yakubu did the impossible by rallying the civil society, CSOs, and local and foreign observers to approve all his elections.”
Turning to the latest Osun election, Shehu said the process under Amupitan had produced what he considered a transparent electoral exercise, particularly with INEC’s seamless uploading of results to its Results Viewing (IReV) portal.
“Now, look at what has just happened in Osun state. Under Amupitan’s leadership, the country has attained a transparent electoral process,” he wrote.
“Everyone – civil society, the EU, local and foreign observers are commending this standout performance, praising the exceptional skill and determination to improve the process as manifested by INEC’s seamless uploading of the governorship election results to its IReV.”
But despite the commendations, Shehu said he was surprised that Amupitan had not publicly appeared to celebrate the commission’s performance.
“With all the loud acclaim that followed, however, I have been asking myself, where is the captain of the ship, Professor Amupitan?” he asked.
“He hasn’t picked the microphone, 48 hours hence, or appeared before the TV cameras to proudly show off the success. Where is he?”
Shehu contrasted Amupitan’s restraint with what he described as the tendency of Nigerian public officials to loudly celebrate achievements, even when results do not justify such claims.
“We are a country of wilful behaviour, chest beating public officials who are proudly and aggressively proclaiming success without achieving half of what we are talking about here. Where is he?” he said.
He added: “We are not used to seeing this kind of humility, patience, and restraint. Isn’t it fair that the man should come out of his shell and dance to the drums in celebration?”
The comments come as attention remains focused on INEC’s conduct of the Osun governorship election and its handling of the electronic transmission and viewing of results, with the commission’s performance under Amupitan becoming a subject of public and political discussion.
