The National Council of State has given unanimous approval to the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The nomination, presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, follows the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman from 2015 until October 2025.
President Tinubu informed the Council that Professor Amupitan, a distinguished legal scholar from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, becomes the first person from the North-Central state to be nominated for the position. The President also described him as “highly competent and apolitical.”
Council members, including governors and former heads of state, unanimously endorsed the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo commending Amupitan as “a man of integrity, intellect, and discipline.”
In line with constitutional provisions, President Tinubu will forward Professor Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Born on April 25, 1967, Amupitan is currently a Professor of Law and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, Plateau State. He is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.
A renowned legal academic, Professor Amupitan obtained his LL.B and LL.M degrees from the University of Jos, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Law in 2007. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 and elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.
Over the course of his distinguished career, he has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008–2014), Head of the Department of Public Law (2006–2008), and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012–2014) at the University of Jos.
Beyond academia, Professor Amupitan has held several corporate and public service roles, including board memberships with Integrated Dairies Limited (Vom), Riss Oil Limited (Abuja), and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council. He also served on the Council of Legal Education between 2008 and 2014.
An accomplished author, his works include Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), and Principles of Company Law (2013), among others.
Professor Amupitan is married and blessed with four children.
