Mr Adedayo Oketola, INEC Chairman’s Spokesman
By Gift Habib
Prof. Joash Amupitan, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has approved the appointment of a former Editor of The PUNCH Newspaper, Mr Adedayo Oketola, as his Chief Press Secretary, CPS.
This is contained in a daily bulletin released on Monday by the commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi.
According to the bulletin, the appointment was formally conveyed in a letter signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, dated Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
It explained that the appointment follows the exit of Rotimi Oyekanmi, who previously served as the CPS to the immediate past INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
“The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan SAN, has approved the appointment of Mr. Adedayo Oketola as his Chief Press Secretary.
“The appointment was officially conveyed in a letter signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony, dated Friday, 24th October 2025,” it read.
Oketola is a multi-award-winning journalist with nearly two decades of experience, who is recognised for his journalistic excellence.
He previously served as the News Editor and Business Editor of The PUNCH and was Assistant Editor of News and Politics for Saturday PUNCH.
During his tenure as Editor of The PUNCH, he was named Editor of the Year at the 2023 Nigeria Media Merit Awards, where the newspaper also won the Newspaper of the Year award.
He was similarly honoured as Editor of the Year at The Industry Awards in 2023 and is a two-time recipient of the Zimeo Excellence in Media Awards held in Johannesburg (2015) and Nairobi (2016).
Oriaran-Anthony, in her congratulatory message, urged Oketola to discharge his duties with professionalism and uphold the values of transparency and integrity that define the commission.
It would be recalled that upon his assumption of office last Thursday, Amupitan reaffirmed his commitment to integrity, transparency, and discipline in managing Nigeria’s electoral process.
He also pledged to prioritise staff welfare and promote teamwork and accountability across the commission.
