JUST IN: Tinubu Appoints Amupitan as INEC Chairman

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The National Council of State approved the nomination on Thursday.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga announced the development in a statement, noting that the appointment follows the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure, which began in 2015 and ended in October 2025.

President Tinubu described Professor Amupitan as an apolitical figure and the first person from Kogi State, in the North-Central region, to be nominated for the position. The Council of State members reportedly endorsed the nomination unanimously, with Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo commending Amupitan as “a man of integrity.”

In accordance with the Constitution, Tinubu will forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

Professor Amupitan, 58, hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. A Professor of Law at the University of Jos, he is also the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council at Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria since 2014, Amupitan holds degrees from the University of Jos, including an LLM (1993) and a PhD (2007). He began his academic career in 1989 after completing his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation.

He has served in several academic leadership roles, including Dean of the Faculty of Law and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors at the University of Jos. Beyond academia, Amupitan has held board positions in the private sector and served on national legal education bodies.

An accomplished author, he has published several works on company law, evidence, and corporate governance, including Corporate Governance: Models and Principles and Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria.

Professor Amupitan is married with four children.