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).
The appointment was announced in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Assistant to the President on Information and Strategy, on Thursday.
According to the statement, President Bola Tinubu presented Amupitan’s nomination to the council to fill the vacant position following the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served from 2015 until October 2025.
President Tinubu described Amupitan as the first person from Kogi State, in North-Central Nigeria, to be nominated for the position, adding that he is apolitical.
“Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing Amupitan as a man of integrity,” Onanuga stated.
The President will now forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Amupitan is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, where he also earned his degrees. He specialises in Company Law, Corporate Governance, Law of Evidence, and Privatisation Law. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014.
Amupitan began his academic career in 1989 after his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation. He earned his LLM in 1993 and completed his PhD in 2007.
Currently, he serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.
His past roles at UNIJOS include Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008–2014), Head of Public Law (2006–2008), and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012–2014).
Outside academia, Amupitan has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, and the Council of Legal Education.
He has authored several notable law books, 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).
He is married and has four children.
Following Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s exit, May Agbamuche-Mbu, the oldest serving National Commissioner, has been appointed Acting INEC Chairman pending Amupitan’s confirmation.
What you should know
Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, is a seasoned legal scholar and administrator from Kogi State with over three decades of academic and professional experience.
His nomination as INEC Chairman marks the first time someone from Kogi will head the electoral body.
