By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
Abuja, Nigeria – 9 October, 2025
The National Council of State has unanimously approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), a distinguished academic and legal scholar from Kogi State, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan’s name to the council on Thursday to fill the vacancy created by the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who had led the electoral body since 2015.
President Tinubu, while presenting the nominee, described Professor Amupitan as an apolitical figure and a man of integrity, adding that his appointment marks the first time a candidate from Kogi State in the North-Central region will occupy the position of INEC Chairman.
Council members reportedly gave the nomination their full support, with Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, commending Amupitan as “a man of unquestionable character and commitment to national service.”
Following the council’s endorsement, President Tinubu is expected to forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for confirmation, in accordance with constitutional requirements.
Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Professor Amupitan is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), where he also serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration).
He is equally the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.
A product of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, and the University of Jos, Amupitan was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 after earning his LL.B from UNIJOS. He went on to obtain an LL.M in 1993 and a PhD in 2007 from the same institution.
His academic journey began in 1989 after his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation. Over the years, he has held several key academic and administrative positions, including Head of the Department of Public Law (2006–2008), Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008–2014), and Chairman, Committee of Deans and Directors (2012–2014).
A respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) since 2014, Amupitan’s expertise spans Company Law, Evidence Law, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law.
The Merit Newspaper reports that beyond the academic sphere, he has served on several boards, including the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, the Council of Legal Education, and Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.
He is also the author of several widely referenced law textbooks, 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).
Professor Amupitan, 58, is married and blessed with four children.
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If confirmed by the Senate, he will become Nigeria’s fifth substantive INEC Chairman since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, inheriting the responsibility of deepening electoral credibility and public trust in the nation’s democratic process.
