The National Council of State has confirmed the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) of Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu submitted Amupitan’s name to the Council during its meeting in the Presidential Villa, following the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman from 2015 through October 2025.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday by Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said Amupitan is an apolitical person and the first nominee from Kogi State to occupy the office. The appointment was unanimously ratified by the Council, with the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, describing him as “a man of integrity.”
As mandated by constitutional provisions, President Tinubu will now forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Amupitan, 58, hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, where he also serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration). He is also the Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
A distinguished scholar and attorney, Amupitan is an expert in Company Law, Corporate Governance, Law of Evidence, and Privatisation Law. He was awarded the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in September 2014.
Born on April 25, 1967, he began his academic pursuits at Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin (1982–1984), before proceeding to the University of Jos, where he earned his LL.B (1987), LL.M (1993), and Ph.D. (2007). He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988.
Amupitan began his academic career in 1989 after finishing his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation. He has also held several key academic and administrative positions in the University of Jos, including the 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 the academia, Amupitan has also served on a number of boards and councils, including the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, the Council of Legal Education, and Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom. He was also a member of the board of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja (1996–2004).
A very prolific scholar, he has written several landmark books, including 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).
Professor Amupitan is a married man with four children.
