The National Council of State has approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This was announced on Thursday in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Assistant to the President on Information and Strategy.
According to the statement, President Bola Tinubu presented Amupitan as his nominee to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman from 2015 until the end of his second term in October 2025.
President Tinubu informed the Council that Amupitan, who hails from Kogi State in Nigeria’s North-Central region, is the first person from the state to be nominated for the role. He also described the nominee as apolitical and of unimpeachable character. The statement further noted that Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing Amupitan as “a man of integrity.”
In line with constitutional requirements, President Tinubu will now forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Born on April 25, 1967, Professor Amupitan is a native of Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He is a distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau State, and an alumnus of the same university. He was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in September 2014.
Amupitan specializes in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. He began his academic career in 1989, following his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation (1988–1989). His educational journey includes studies at Kwara State Polytechnic (1982–1984), the University of Jos (LLB, 1987; LLM, 1993), and a PhD in Law in 2007. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988.
Currently, he serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos. He is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State. His previous academic leadership roles at UNIJOS include Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008–2014), Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012–2014), and Head of the Department of Public Law (2006–2008).
Beyond the academic environment, Professor Amupitan has served in various public and private sector capacities. He is a board member of Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, a former member of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and a member of the Council of Legal Education (2008–2014). From 1996 to 2004, he also served on the board of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja.
He is the author of several widely referenced law 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), and An Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014).
Professor Amupitan is married and has four children.
Following Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s exit after two five-year terms, the most senior National Commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, assumed the role of Acting INEC Chairman on Tuesday. Agbamuche-Mbu, who will serve in an interim capacity pending Senate confirmation of Amupitan, is currently the longest-serving commissioner at the electoral body.
