The National Council of State has unanimously approved the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The approval followed President Bola Tinubu’s presentation of Amupitan’s nomination during the Council’s meeting, held on Thursday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
This development came after the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s ten-year tenure in October 2025.
According to a statement posted on X by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu described Amupitan as the first nominee from Nigeria’s North-Central region to head the electoral commission.
Council members reportedly gave their unanimous backing to the nomination, with Kogi State governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, hailing Amupitan as “a man of integrity.”
“In compliance with the constitution, President Tinubu will now forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for confirmation,” Onanuga stated.
Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State, Amupitan is a professor of law and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria since 2014, he specialises in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. He earned his LL.B and LL.M degrees from the University of Jos in 1987 and 1993, respectively, and obtained a PhD in Law in 2007.
Amupitan began his academic career at the University of Jos in 1989 after completing his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation. Over the years, he 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).
He currently serves as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State, and sits on the boards of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.
A prolific author, Amupitan has written several influential books, including 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).
He is married and blessed with four children.
