The announcement was contained in a circular released on Wednesday by the Senate’s Director of Information, Bullah Audu Bi-Allah, notifying journalists and the public of the scheduled screening at the Senate Chamber, National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

The exercise follows President Bola Tinubu’s letter to the Senate seeking “speedy confirmation” of Amupitan’s appointment. Tinubu, in his correspondence, said the nomination was made “in line with Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)” and urged lawmakers to grant it their “usual expeditious consideration.”

Amupitan’s nomination, endorsed last week by the National Council of State, marks a major transition for INEC following the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as chairman for ten years.

The circular further urged members of the Senate Press Corps and television stations to provide live coverage of the screening, describing it as a matter of public interest.

Amupitan’s appointment comes at a politically sensitive time, as debates continue over INEC’s independence and post-election credibility. While the Presidency describes him as “an apolitical figure of impeccable integrity,” opposition parties and civil society groups have called for a transparent and rigorous screening process.

Meanwhile, the Northern Nigeria Minorities Group (NNMG) has cautioned against attempts to ethnicise the nomination. In a statement issued in Kaduna by its Convener, Chief Jacob Edi, the group condemned what it called “divisive commentaries and social media tirades” surrounding the appointment.

“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 said.

He clarified that Amupitan, “an Okun man from Kogi State, one of the minority ethnic nationalities in Northern Nigeria,” should be celebrated, not criticised.

Edi described recent reactions as “false, dangerous, and inimical to national unity,” noting that this is the first time in 65 years that a person from a northern minority group has been nominated to lead the electoral commission.

“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,” he stated.

The NNMG urged Nigerians to stop politicising appointments from northern minority communities, arguing that competence, not ethnicity, should guide national decisions.

“The appointment of Professor Amupitan should be celebrated as a bold step toward inclusivity, equity, and meritocracy,” the statement read.

Edi commended President Tinubu for recognising northern diversity and warned that divisive politics could undermine democratic development.

“We urge political actors, commentators, and citizens alike to rise above petty identity politics and focus on building institutions that work, irrespective of who heads them,” he said, adding that “the time for ethnic arithmetic is over.”

He concluded by calling on Nigerians to support Amupitan’s leadership of INEC, stressing that “the success of Nigeria’s democracy depends on it.”