The National Council of State has unanimously approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) from Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan’s name to the Council during its meeting on Wednesday, following the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman from 2015 until October 2025.

President Tinubu noted that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi State to be nominated for the position, describing him as a non-partisan individual with a distinguished record in law and academia.

Council members unanimously endorsed the nomination, with Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo commending Amupitan as “a man of integrity.”

In line with constitutional provisions, the President will forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

Aged 58, Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He is currently a Professor of Law and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, Plateau State, where he also earned his LLB, LLM, and PhD degrees.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria since 2014, Amupitan specialises in Company Law, Evidence Law, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. Over the course of his academic career, he has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law, Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors, and Head of the Department of Public Law at the University of Jos.

Beyond academia, Amupitan is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State. He also serves on the boards of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.

An accomplished author, Amupitan has written several books on law, including 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 Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014).

He is married with four children.