ABUJA: 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), following the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s 10-year tenure.
The approval was announced in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, after the Council’s meeting held Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu, who presented Amupitan’s name to the Council, noted that the 58-year-old legal scholar from Kogi State is the first individual from the North-Central region to be nominated for the position since the establishment of the Commission.
Council members unanimously endorsed the nomination, with Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, describing Amupitan as a man of integrity and competence.
In compliance with constitutional provisions, President Tinubu will forward Professor Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation, the statement read.
Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Amupitan is a Professor of Law and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) since 2014, he specializes in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law.
Amupitan earned his LL.B from the University of Jos in 1987 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988. He later obtained his LL.M in 1993 and a PhD in Law in 2007 from the same institution.
He began his academic career at UNIJOS in 1989 after completing his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation.
Over the years, he has served in several key positions, including Dean, Faculty of Law (2008–2014); Head, Department of Public Law (2006–2008); and Chairman, Committee of Deans and Directors (2012–2014).
Beyond academia, Amupitan is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), Osun State, and sits on the boards of several institutions, including the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.
A respected scholar, he has authored several notable publications, 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.
