The National Council of State has given its approval for the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The approval came after President Bola Tinubu during a high-stakes meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, announced Joash Amupitan as his nominee.
Tinubu, during the meeting said Joash Amupitan is the first person from the North-Central state to be nominated for the position.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Amupitan’s appointment is expected to fill the void left by Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose decade-long tenure as INEC Chairman officially concluded on October 7, 2025, after two five-year terms that oversaw general elections in 2019 and 2023.
Also, the National Council of State was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
The Council of State, established under Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution, advises the President on key national issues, including the appointment of the INEC Chairman, the National Population Commission, and the National Judicial Council members.
What the Nigerian Government said;
Below is the full press statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga;
STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES APPOINTMENT OF PROFESSOR AMUPITAN AS INEC CHAIRMAN
The National Council of State has approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) from the North-Central as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan as the nominee to fill the vacant position, following Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s exit. Yakubu served from 2015 till October 2025.
President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical.
Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing Amupitan as a man of integrity.
In compliance with the constitution, President Tinubu will now send Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening.
Amupitan, 58, from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu LGA in Kogi State, is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau. He is also an alumnus of the university.
He specialises in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in September 2014.
Amupitan was born on April 25, 1967.
After completing primary and secondary education, he attended Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, from 1982 to 1984, and the University of Jos from 1984 to 1987. He was called to the bar in 1988.
He earned an LLM at UNIJOS in 1993 and a PhD in 2007, amid an academic career that began in 1989, following his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation in Bauchi from 1988 to 1989.
Currently, he serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, a position he holds in conjunction with being the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
Among the academic positions he has held at UNIJOS are: Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012-2014); Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008-2014); and Head of Public Law (2006-2008).
Outside of academics, Amupitan serves as a board member of Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, a member of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, and a member of the Council of Legal Education (2008-2014), among other roles. He was a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja(1996-2004).
Amupitan is the author of many books on law, such as Corporate Governance: Models and Principles(2008); Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008); Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria(2013), Principles of Company Law(2013), and an Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014).
He is married and has four children.
Who is Joash Amupitan?
Joash Amupitan was born on April 25, 1967, in Aiyetoro-Gbede, Ijumu LGA of Kogi state. Amupitan is married to Yemisi, and they have four children.
He comes from a family deeply rooted in education and Christian service. His late mother, Alice Ajigba Amupitan, was an educator and church leader in Kogi state.
He obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree in 1987 at the University of Jos. After his call to the bar in 1988, Amupitan joined UNIJOS in 1989 as an assistant lecturer. He earned his master of Laws (LL.M.) in 1993, and later earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in law in 2007.
Over the decades, his teaching and research have focused on public law, corporate governance, privatisation law, and the law of evidence.
His scholarship includes more than 50 academic works — journal articles, book chapters, monographs, and case reviews.
He has supervised over 30 master of Laws candidates and more than a dozen doctoral students.
In December 2023, Amupitan was appointed pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ilesa, Osun state.
In 2014, Amupitan attained the rank of senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the legal profession’s highest recognition.
The rank acknowledged his excellence in practice, research, and contributions to jurisprudence. It positioned him as both an academic and a practitioner who bridges theory and legal reality.
At the University of Jos, Amupitan headed the department of public law before serving as dean of the faculty of law.
He later became chairman of the committee of deans and directors and a member of the university’s governing council.
In 2022, the Senate of the university elected him deputy vice-chancellor (administration), a position that broadened his experience in management and governance.
Beyond the university system, Amupitan has served on the governing council of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and on the Council of Legal Education.
