The National Council of State on Thursday unanimously approved the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, of the University of Jos as new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This latest appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was contained in a statement posted on X by his media adviser, Bayo Onanuga.
“In compliance with the constitution, President Tinubu will now send Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening,” the statement read in part.
The appointment follows the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who completed his 10-year tenure in October 2025.
According to Onanuga, Tinubu told the council that Amupitan, a 58-year-old professor of law from Kogi State, is the first person from Nigeria’s north-central states to be nominated for the position. The council members reportedly gave unanimous support for the nomination, with Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, describing Amupitan as “a man of integrity.”
Amupitan, who was born on April 25, 1967 in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, is a professor of law at the University of Jos, where he also serves as the deputy vice-chancellor (administration).
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria since 2014, Amupitan specialises in company law, law of evidence, corporate governance and privatisation law.
He obtained his LL.B from the University of Jos in 1987 and was called to the bar in 1988. He earned an LL.M from the same university in 1993 and a PhD in 2007.
Amupitan began his academic career at Unijos in 1989 after his National Youth Service Corps assignment 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, committee of deans and directors (2012–2014).
He also serves as pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State, and sits on the boards of several institutions, including the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.
The legal scholar has authored several 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).
