The National Council of State has approved the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The decision was reached on Thursday during the Council’s meeting at the State House, Abuja, presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
President Tinubu presented Amupitan, a native of Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, as his nominee to fill the vacancy created by the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman from 2015 to October 2025.
The President described Amupitan as the first person from Kogi, in Nigeria’s North-Central zone, to be nominated for the position, adding that he is a non-partisan professional of impeccable integrity.
Council members unanimously endorsed the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State commending Amupitan as “a man of integrity and sound intellect.”
In line with constitutional provisions, President Tinubu is expected to transmit the nominee’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Born on April 25, 1967, the 58-year-old legal scholar is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, where he also serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration). He is concurrently the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.
An alumnus of the University of Jos, Amupitan obtained his LLB in 1987 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988. He earned an LLM in 1993 and completed his PhD in 2007. His academic journey began in 1989 after his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation.
Amupitan, who became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014, has held several positions at the University of Jos, including 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 academia, he has served on various boards, including the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, the Council of Legal Education, and Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom. He was also a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja, from 1996 to 2004.
A prolific author, Amupitan has written several notable books, including Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), and Principles of Company Law (2013).
He is married and blessed with four children.
