President Bola Tinubu has nominated Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to become the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The National Council of State confirmed the approval on Thursday, following the departure of his predecessor, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
His nomination is historic as he is the first native of Kogi State to be tapped for INEC’s top post. His long academic and legal career gives him a profile distinct from prior chairpersons. The Council’s approval also allows the president to forward his name to the Senate for confirmation, in line with constitutional requirements.
Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State. He was born on April 25, 1967, making him 58 years old at the time of nomination. He completed his first degrees at the University of Jos, where he later earned his LL.M. and Ph.D. in Law. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 after attending the Nigerian Law School.
He joined the University of Jos in 1989 as an Assistant Lecturer, advanced to Reader in 2003, and became Professor of Law by 2008. Before his nomination he held the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at UNIJOS.
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His fields of interest include Law of Evidence, Corporate Law, Corporate Governance, Privatisation Law, and Electoral Law. He was elevated to Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014. Amupitan has held many academic leadership roles such as Dean, Head of Department, and chair of university committees.
He has also served on boards like Integrated Dairies Limited, Riss Oil Limited, and legal education councils. He was until recently Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council at Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
In scholarly output, he has published more than 50 works on topics ranging from corporate governance to electoral reforms and petroleum law. He has also supervised numerous master’s and doctoral students. He is married to Dr. (Mrs.) Yemisi Amupitan, and they have four children.
With Council approval secured, President Tinubu is constitutionally required to submit Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation. If confirmed, Amupitan will lead INEC during a critical period of election administration in Nigeria, overseeing logistics, candidate clearance, and polling protocols.
