By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja
Following the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s two-term tenure.
The National Council of State has on Thursday, 9th October, 2025, unanimously approved the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan’s nomination during the Council’s meeting in Abuja, describing him as a non-partisan academic with a distinguished record of service in law and governance. Yakubu, who has served as INEC Chairman since 2015, concluded his tenure in October 2025.
According to President Tinubu, Amupitan’s nomination marks the first time a person from Kogi State in the North-Central region has been proposed for the position. The Council’s members reportedly gave unanimous support to the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State describing Amupitan as “a man of integrity and competence.”
In line with constitutional requirements, President Tinubu will forward the nominee’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Profile of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN)
In a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy,
Professor 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 (UNIJOS), where he currently serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration). He also doubles as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
A scholar of repute, Amupitan specialises in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. He earned his LLM from UNIJOS in 1993 and his PhD in 2007. He was conferred with the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.
He began his academic career in 1989 after completing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation. Over the years, he has held several key positions at UNIJOS, including Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008–2014), Head of the Department of Public Law (2006–2008), and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012–2014).
Outside academia, Amupitan has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom, and the Council of Legal Education (2008–2014). He is also a member of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.
An accomplished author, he has written several influential law texts, 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 Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014).
Professor Amupitan is married and blessed with four children.
