Tinubu Appoints Prof Ojo Amupitan As New INEC Chairman

ABUJA – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), a distinguished legal scholar from Kogi State, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a nomination that received unanimous approval from the National Council of State on Thursday.

The approval was given during a meeting on Thursday where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented the 58-year-old law professor as his nominee to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure ended in October 2025 after a decade at the helm.

President Tinubu informed the council that Professor Amupitan, hailing from Kogi State in the North-Central region, is the first individual from the state to be nominated for the position and described him as an apolitical figure.

Council members voiced strong support for the nominee, with Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, endorsing him as “a man of integrity.”

With the council’s approval secured, President Tinubu will now formally transmit Amupitan’s name to the Senate for confirmation, in compliance with constitutional requirements.

Professor Amupitan is a distinguished academic and legal practitioner. A Professor of Law at the University of Jos, he specializes in Company Law, Law of Evidence, and Corporate Governance. He was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.

Currently serving as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, his extensive career includes roles as Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008-2014) and membership on the Council of Legal Education. He is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.

An alumnus of the University of Jos, Professor Amupitan is a prolific author of several legal textbooks. He is married with four children.