The National Council of State has approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

This was disclosed on Thursday in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Assistant to the President on Information and Strategy.

President Bola Tinubu presented Amupitan’s name to the council to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served from 2015 until October 2025.

Tinubu noted that Amupitan, from Kogi State (North Central), is the first person from the state to be nominated for the position and described him as “apolitical”.

“Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing Professor Amupitan as a man of integrity,” the statement said.

In line with the Constitution, the President will now forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for confirmation.

Born on 25 April 1967, the 58-year-old Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State. A Professor of Law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), he specialises in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in September 2014.

Amupitan began his academic career in 1989, after completing his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation (1988–1989). He earned his LLB from the University of Jos (1987), was called to the Nigerian Bar (1988), and obtained an LLM (1993) and PhD (2007) from the same institution.

He has served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at UNIJOS and is currently Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State. His previous roles include Dean, Faculty of Law (2008–2014); Head of Public Law (2006–2008); and Chairman, Committee of Deans and Directors (2012–2014).

Beyond academia, Amupitan sits on the boards of Integrated Dairies Ltd., Vom, and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, and previously served on the Council of Legal Education (2008–2014) and Riss Oil Ltd., Abuja (1996–2004).

He has authored several books, 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.

Following Professor Yakubu’s exit, May Agbamuche-Mbu, the oldest serving National Commissioner, has assumed office as Acting INEC Chairman pending Amupitan’s confirmation by the Senate.