The National Council of State on Thursday gave its unanimous approval to the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following the expiration of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure in October 2025.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan’s name to the Council during its meeting at the State House, describing him as “a distinguished academic, a man of proven integrity, and an apolitical Nigerian whose competence and impartiality are beyond doubt.”
According to a State House statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the President informed the Council that Amupitan’s appointment was historic, as he would be the first person from Kogi State, in the North-Central region, to be nominated for the INEC top job.
Following deliberations, the Council gave its unanimous backing to the nomination. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State, who spoke on behalf of the governors, hailed Amupitan’s selection, describing it as “a recognition of excellence, integrity, and hard work.”
“Professor Amupitan has served Nigeria diligently in the academic and legal sectors. His deep understanding of governance and the law will strengthen our electoral system and sustain the confidence of Nigerians in INEC,” Governor Ododo said.
The statement noted that President Tinubu will, in line with constitutional provisions, transmit Amupitan’s name to the Senate for confirmation in the coming days.
Who is Professor Amupitan?
Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Amupitan, 58, is a Professor of Law and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, where he has spent over three decades as an academic.
1. Amupitan is 58. He was born on April 25, 1967.
2. He hails from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu LGA in Kogi State
3. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau. He is also an alumnus of the university.
4. He specialises in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in September 2014.
5. After completing primary and secondary education, he attended Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, from 1982 to 1984, and the University of Jos from 1984 to 1987. He was called to the bar in 1988.
6. He earned an LLM at UNIJOS in 1993 and a PhD in 2007, amid an academic career that began in 1989, following his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation in Bauchi from 1988 to 1989.
7. Currently, he serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, a position he holds in conjunction with being the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
8. Among the academic positions he has held at UNIJOS are: Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012-2014); Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008-2014); and Head of Public Law (2006-2008).
9. Outside of academics, Amupitan serves as a board member of Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, a member of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, and a member of the Council of Legal Education (2008-2014), among other roles. He was a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja (1996-2004).
10. Amupitan is the author of many books on law, such as 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).
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