The National Council of State has unanimously approved the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan’s nomination to the Council during its meeting on Wednesday, following the expiration of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure, which spanned from 2015 to October 2025.
According to the President, Professor Amupitan, who hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, is the first person from the North-Central state to be nominated for the position of INEC Chairman. Tinubu described him as “apolitical and a man of sound character.”
Council members reportedly gave unanimous support to the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State praising Amupitan as “a man of integrity and proven competence.”
In line with the constitutional procedure, President Tinubu will transmit Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Who is Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN)?
Born on April 25, 1967, Professor Amupitan is 58 years old and currently serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos (UNIJOS). He is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.
An alumnus of UNIJOS, Amupitan obtained his LL.B in 1987 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988. He later earned his LL.M from UNIJOS in 1993 and completed his Ph.D. in Law in 2007.
A renowned scholar of Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law, he became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.
Amupitan has held several key academic and administrative positions, including:
- Chairman, Committee of Deans and Directors (2012–2014)
- Dean, Faculty of Law (2008–2014)
- Head, Department of Public Law (2006–2008)
Outside academia, he has served on several corporate and legal boards, including the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, the Council of Legal Education, and Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.
He is also a published author of several books, including:
- Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008)
- Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008)
- Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013)
- Principles of Company Law (2013)
- An Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014)
Professor Amupitan is married with four children.
