Less than a week after Professor Mahmood Yakubu left office as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a successor, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), has been unanimously approved by the National Council of State (NCS) to take his place, a statement from the President’s Office has said.
Amupitan was recommended for the hot seat by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, according to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, adding that the Senate screening of the Professor of law is expected to commence in the coming weeks.
Amupitan, a seasoned academic and legal expert from Kogi State in Nigeria’s North-Central region, becomes the first person from the state to be nominated for the position.
President Tinubu, while presenting Amupitan’s nomination to the council at the State House, Abuja, described him as an apolitical figure of exceptional integrity. The President noted that the appointment reflects a commitment to regional inclusion and merit-based leadership.
Council members unanimously endorsed the choice, with Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing the nominee as a “man of integrity” and a distinguished legal mind.
In line with constitutional provisions, Professor Amupitan’s name will now be forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.
Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Amupitan is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, where he also earned his law degrees, including an LLM in 1993 and a PhD in 2007. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 after completing his studies at the University of Jos and the Nigerian Law School.
A Professor of Law with specialisations in Company Law, Evidence Law, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law, Amupitan was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014. He has held several key academic positions, including Dean of the Faculty of Law and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors at the University of Jos.
Beyond academia, Amupitan has served in various national legal and corporate roles. He was a member of the Council of Legal Education and currently sits on the governing council of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. He also serves on the board of Integrated Dairies Limited and was previously a board member of Riss Oil Limited.
An accomplished author, his notable works include Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), and Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), among others.
Professor Amupitan is married with four children.
