Council of State Approves Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN) as New INEC Chairman Nominee
The National Council of State has endorsed the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, from Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria, as the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan to the Council as his preferred nominee to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman from 2015 until October 2025.
President Tinubu noted that Amupitan is the first nominee from Kogi State to be considered for the position and described him as apolitical and eminently qualified.
Council members unanimously backed the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo commending Amupitan as “a man of integrity.”
In line with constitutional requirements, the President will now forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Born on April 25, 1967, Amupitan, 58, hails from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu LGA of Kogi State. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), where he also obtained his LLB, LLM (1993), and PhD (2007). He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 and elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.
His areas of specialization include Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law.
Amupitan began his academic career in 1989 after his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation. Over the years, he has held several leadership positions at UNIJOS, including 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).
He currently serves as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at UNIJOS and is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.
Beyond academia, Amupitan has contributed to governance and corporate leadership. He has served as a member of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, the Council of Legal Education (2008–2014), and as a board member of Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom, and Riss Oil Limited, Abuja.
A prolific legal scholar, he has authored several influential 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)
– Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014)
Amupitan is married and blessed with four children.
