The National Council of State has approved the nomination of Joash Amupitan as the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Tinubu presented Mr Amupitan’s name to the council on Thursday as a replacement for Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure ends in October 2025 after serving in the role since 2015.
Amupitan’s nomination marks the first time someone from Kogi State has been put forward for the position.
He hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of the state, which is in Nigeria’s North-Central region.
President Tinubu is expected to forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate in line with constitutional provisions for screening and confirmation.
The nomination was unanimously endorsed by the council members.
The 58-year-old is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau State.
His areas of academic focus include company law, law of evidence, corporate governance and privatisation law.
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 and became a senior advocate of Nigeria in 2014.
He began his academic career at the University of Jos in 1989 following his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation.
He holds LLB and LLM degrees from the University of Jos and completed a PhD in Law in 2007.
Within the university, Amupitan has held several leadership roles including Dean of the Faculty of Law, chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors and Head of the Department of Public Law.
He is currently the deputy vice chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos.
He also serves as the pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
Outside academia, Amupitan is a board member of Integrated Dairies Limited, Vom.
