Tinubu Nominates Prof. Amupitan, a Northern Yoruba Scholar, as New INEC Chairman
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following the expiration of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure, which ended in October 2025.
The nomination was presented at Thursday’s meeting of the National Council of State held at the State House, Abuja, where the council unanimously endorsed Amupitan’s appointment.
PRNigeria gathered that Professor Amupitan, a distinguished scholar and first-class academic, hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He is widely regarded as a Northern Yoruba intellectual from the North-Central geopolitical zone.
In a statement by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu described the nominee as “an apolitical academic, a man of integrity, and a legal luminary whose track record embodies fairness and national balance.”
The President noted that Amupitan’s nomination marks the first time a person from Kogi State would occupy the position of INEC Chairman.
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Council members—including state governors, former heads of state, and key national leaders—reportedly endorsed the nomination without dissent. Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, lauded the decision, describing the nominee as “a scholar of high integrity whose depth of legal and governance knowledge will strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.”
In accordance with constitutional provisions, President Tinubu will forward the nominee’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Born 58 years ago, Professor Amupitan is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), where he specialises in Company Law, Corporate Governance, Privatisation Law, and the Law of Evidence.
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 and conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014. He began his academic career in 1989 after completing his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation.
Over the years, Amupitan has served in several administrative positions at UNIJOS, including Dean of the Faculty of Law, Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors, and currently as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration).
Beyond academia, he is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council at Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State, and serves on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, and the Council of Legal Education.
An accomplished author, Professor Amupitan has published several influential books, among them Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Principles of Company Law (2013), and Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013).
A devout family man, he is married and blessed with four children.
By PRNigeria
