President Bola Tinubu has nominated Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a move that has now received the unanimous approval of the National Council of State. The appointment is set to fill the vacuum created by the expiration of Professor Mahmood Yakubu's second term in office, who officially departed on October 7, 2025.
Professor Amupitan, a distinguished legal scholar, becomes the first person from Kogi State in the North-Central geopolitical zone to be nominated for the commission's highest office. During the Council of State meeting, President Tinubu was reported to have stressed that Amupitan is apolitical and a man of integrity, a sentiment echoed by Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, who described the nominee as a man of integrity. Following the Council's approval, the President will now forward the nomination to the Senate for screening and confirmation, in compliance with the constitutional requirements.
Professor Amupitan, 58, currently serves as a professor of law and the deputy vice-chancellor (administration) at the University of Jos, Plateau State. He was conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in September 2014, in recognition of his significant contributions to the legal profession. His academic specialisations include company law, law of evidence, corporate governance, and privatisation law. An alumnus of the University of Jos, he has also held administrative roles such as Dean of the Faculty of Law and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors at the institution.
The leadership transition began earlier this week when the immediate past chairman, Professor Yakubu, completed his tenure, a term that began in November 2015 and saw a renewal in 2020. Until the appointment of a substantive chairman, the most senior National Commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, was directed to oversee the affairs of the commission in an acting capacity.
With crucial off-cycle elections on the horizon, the focus will now shift to the Senate's screening process and the new chairman's immediate ability to maintain and enhance the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral framework.