President Bola Tinubu on Thursday justified his nomination of Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing his apolitical stance, integrity, and proven record of service.
Speaking at the State House, Abuja, during the National Council of State meeting, Tinubu highlighted that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi State to be nominated for the top electoral role. The council unanimously endorsed his nomination to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose decade-long tenure ended earlier this week.
“Kogi State’s Professor Amupitan embodies impartiality and a deep commitment to national service,” Tinubu said, according to his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Council members, including former and serving leaders, echoed the President’s assessment, praising Amupitan’s integrity and professional record. Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo described him as “a jurist dedicated to justice, knowledge, and service.”
Aged 58 and hailing from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area, Amupitan is a professor of law at the University of Jos, where he serves as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration). He also chairs the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.
Amupitan’s academic journey includes a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate in Law from the University of Jos, after initial studies at Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin. Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988, he became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014. His publications include Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), and Principles of Company Law (2013).
Beyond academia, he has served on multiple boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, the Council of Legal Education, and Riss Oil Limited. Colleagues describe him as “a jurist of quiet influence.” Amupitan is married with four children.
Upon Senate confirmation, he will become Nigeria’s 15th INEC Chairman.