Tinubu appoints Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN) as new INEC chairman

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has named Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The announcement came after the National Council of State approved Tinubu’s nomination of Amupitan to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure ends in October 2025 after serving since 2015.

According to presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu noted that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi State and the entire North-Central region to be nominated for the top electoral role. The President also described him as an apolitical figure with a record of integrity.

Council members unanimously endorsed the nomination, with Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo praising Amupitan as “a man of character and credibility.”

In line with constitutional provisions, Tinubu will now forward the nominee’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

Aged 58, Professor Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. A Professor of Law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), where he also serves as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), he is an alumnus of the same institution.

Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria since 2014, specialises in Company Law, Evidence Law, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. He has authored several authoritative texts, including Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008) and Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013).

Born on April 25, 1967, Amupitan’s academic journey began at Kwara State Polytechnic (1982–1984) before he earned his LL.B from UNIJOS in 1987 and was called to the Bar in 1988. He obtained an LL.M from the same university in 1993 and completed his PhD in 2007.

Beyond academia, he has served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State, and sits on several boards, including the Council of Legal Education and Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.

With a distinguished academic and professional career spanning over three decades, Amupitan brings a blend of scholarship, integrity, and administrative experience to Nigeria’s top electoral body.