Photo…Prof Amupitan is first INEC chairman from North Central
By Sodeeq Kamsela, Abuja
Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Jos, has been nominated as the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Amupitan, born April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, is widely regarded as a distinguished scholar and legal practitioner. A Professor of Law, he specializes in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law.
His academic journey began at the University of Jos, where he earned his LLB in 1987, before being called to the Bar in 1988. He later obtained both his LLM (1993) and PhD (2007) from the same institution.
Over a three-decade career, Amupitan has served in several leadership capacities at UNIJOS, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Head of Public Law, Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors, and is currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration).
Beyond academia, he chairs the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State and sits on the boards of organisations including Integrated Dairies Limited and the Council of Legal Education.
His published works, such as Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008) and Principles of Company Law (2013), have contributed significantly to Nigerian legal scholarship.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced Amupitan’s nomination at Thursday’s National Council of State meeting in Abuja, praising him as “a man of integrity and proven competence.” The nomination received unanimous approval from the Council. With this appointment, Amupitan becomes the first person from Kogi State — and the North-Central region — to be nominated for the role.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State lauded the President’s choice, describing Amupitan as “a man of character and sound moral standing.”
According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the nomination marks the end of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s decade-long tenure as INEC Chairman, which began in 2015 and concludes in October 2025.
The Constitution requires the President’s nominee to undergo screening and confirmation by the Senate before assuming office.
Amupitan, 58, is married with four children.
