The National Council of State has endorsed the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) from the North-Central region as the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu presented Amupitan as his choice to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC Chairman ended in October 2025 after serving since 2015.
Tinubu informed the council that Amupitan, a native of Kogi State, is the first person from the state and the North-Central zone to be nominated for the role.
He also stressed that Amupitan is not affiliated with any political party. The nomination was unanimously supported by council members, with Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, describing him as a man of unquestionable integrity.
The president will now forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for confirmation, as required by the constitution.
Amupitan, 58, hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. A Professor of Law at the University of Jos, where he also studied, he specialises in Company Law, Corporate Governance, Law of Evidence, and Privatisation Law. He attained the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.
Born on April 25, 1967, Amupitan began his academic career in 1989 after completing his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation. He obtained his LLM from UNIJOS in 1993 and later earned his PhD in 2007.
Currently, he is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos and also serves as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
Over the years, he has held various leadership roles at UNIJOS, 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, Amupitan has served on several boards and councils, including the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, the Council of Legal Education, and the board of Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom. He was also on the board of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja, between 1996 and 2004.
He has authored several influential 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).
Amupitan is married and blessed with four children.
