The National Council of State on Thursday unanimously confirmed Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), placing the seasoned academic and lawyer at the helm of Nigeria’s electoral body.
The appointment, announced via a statement from Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, follows the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s ten-year tenure last month. President Bola Tinubu presented Amupitan’s nomination during the Council’s meeting at the Presidential Villa.
“The Council thoroughly considered the nomination and found Professor Amupitan eminently qualified to lead INEC at this critical time,” a senior government official familiar with the proceedings stated.
At 58, the Kogi State-born professor of law brings a largely academic and corporate governance background to the role. He becomes the first individual from Nigeria’s North-Central region to be appointed as INEC Chairman.
Professor Amupitan is a long-serving member of the University of Jos academic community, where he currently holds the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration). He is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council at Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
His legal expertise lies in Company Law, Evidence, and Corporate Governance, fields in which he has authored several textbooks. He was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.
The new INEC chairman, who is married with four children, takes charge of an institution tasked with overseeing the nation’s elections, with the next major poll cycle scheduled for 2027. He inherits a commission under constant public scrutiny, following controversies from recent electoral exercises.
