The National Council of State has unanimously approved 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 the press statement released by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Thursday. The approval follows his presentation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fill the vacancy left by Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served from 2015 until October 2025.
President Tinubu highlighted that Amupitan is the first nominee from Kogi State to be considered for the INEC leadership role and described him as apolitical. Members of the council expressed full support, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo lauding Amupitan as “a man of integrity.”
Lens News reports that the next step requires Senate screening and confirmation in line with constitutional provisions.
Amupitan, 58, hails from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State, and is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), where he also studied. He specializes in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law, and became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014. (Statehouse Press Release via Bayo Onanuga)
Born on April 25, 1967, Amupitan attended Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, and the University of Jos. He was called to the bar in 1988 and earned an LLM in 1993 and PhD in 2007. His academic career started in 1989 after completing National Youth Service at Bauchi State Publishing Corporation.
Currently, he serves as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at UNIJOS and is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council at Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State. He has held various academic leadership roles at UNIJOS, including Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012-2014), Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008-2014), and Head of Public Law (2006-2008).
Beyond academics, Amupitan sits on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited and Riss Oil Limited, and has contributed to governance bodies such as the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the Council of Legal Education. He is also an accomplished author of law texts, including Corporate Governance: Models and Principles, Documentary Evidence in Nigeria, Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria, Principles of Company Law, and Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria.
Amupitan is married with four children. His appointment marks a significant milestone for Kogi State and the North-Central region in Nigeria’s electoral governance landscape.
