Tinubu to Swear In Joash Amupitan as New INEC Chairman Today

President Bola Tinubu will this afternoon swear in Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission. The ceremony is scheduled for 12 noon at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, according to officials familiar with the President’s itinerary.

Preparations for the event were confirmed on Wednesday by sources at the State House who disclosed that the inauguration would be attended by members of the Federal Executive Council, the leadership of the National Assembly, senior officials of INEC, civil society representatives, and legal luminaries.

Amupitan will also hold his first official meeting with directors of the commission later today. A notice issued by Wilfred Ifogah, INEC’s Deputy Director of Publicity, stated that the meeting will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the commission’s headquarters conference hall. The notice invited the INEC Press Corps to cover the opening session.

President Tinubu had earlier explained that Amupitan’s appointment was based on his integrity, professional distinction, and non-partisan record. According to the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu informed the Council of State that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi State to occupy the position and was chosen for his apolitical stance.

Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Professor of Law at the University of Jos, was confirmed by the Senate on October 16, 2025, following his endorsement by the National Council of State. His appointment follows the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman from 2015 until October 7, 2025. The Council of State unanimously backed the nomination, with Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing Amupitan as a man of proven integrity.

Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Kogi State, Amupitan has spent more than three decades in academia. He earned his LL.B, LL.M and Ph.D in Law from the University of Jos, where he began teaching in 1989 and became a full professor in 2008. His career includes service as Head of Department, Dean of Law and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration). Until recently, he was the Pro-Chancellor of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.

He was conferred the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014 and is widely recognised for his expertise in corporate governance, privatisation law, and the law of evidence. His publications exceed fifty scholarly works, and he has mentored numerous legal professionals across the country.

Beyond academia, Amupitan serves on the boards of Integrated Dairies Limited, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council and the Council of Legal Education. He previously served as a board member of Riss Oil Limited in Abuja.