BREAKING: Council of State approves Amupitan as new INEC chairman

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).

This was confirmed in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy.

President Tinubu presented Amupitan’s nomination during Thursday’s Council of State meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The appointment comes after the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s 10-year tenure as INEC chairman in October 2025.

According to the President, Amupitan, a 58-year-old Professor of Law from Kogi State, is the first person from the North-Central region to be nominated for the position.

Council members reportedly gave their unanimous backing, with Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing the nominee as “a man of integrity.”

“In line with constitutional provisions, President Tinubu will now forward Professor Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation,” the statement added.

Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Amupitan is a distinguished legal scholar and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) since 2014, he specialises in Company Law, Evidence Law, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. He obtained his LL.B from the University of Jos in 1987, was called to the Bar in 1988, and later earned his LL.M (1993) and PhD (2007) from the same institution.

Amupitan joined the University of Jos in 1989 and has held several leadership roles, including 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).

Beyond academia, he serves as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State, and sits on the boards of multiple institutions, including the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.

A prolific author, his publications 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).

Professor Amupitan is married and blessed with four children.