National Council of State has approved the nomination of Joash Amupitan as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Tinubu presented Mr Amupitan’s name to the council on Thursday to replace Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC chairman from 2015 to October 2025.
President Tinubu informed the council that Amupitan, from Kogi State in the North-Central region, is the first person from the state to be nominated for the position.
Council members unanimously endorsed the nomination.
Kogi State governor Usman Ododo described Amupitan as a man of integrity.
In line with constitutional provisions, Tinubu will forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Amupitan, 58, is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau State.
He specialises in company law, law of evidence, corporate governance and privatisation law.
He became a senior advocate of Nigeria in 2014.
Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Amupitan obtained his LLB and LLM degrees from the University of Jos and later earned a PhD in 2007.
He was called to the bar in 1988.
He began his academic career at the University of Jos in 1989 after completing his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation.
Amupitan is currently the deputy vice chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos and the pro-chancellor and chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.
He has previously 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.
Outside academia, he is a board member of Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.
