By Dipo Alaje
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to succeed Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, whose 10-year tenure ended recently.
The nomination, which was announced on Thursday, October 9, 2025, received the approval of the National Council of State at its meeting in Abuja. Prof. Amupitan’s appointment will, however, be subject to confirmation by the Senate, in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Prof. Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and law professor, has spent most of his academic and professional career in Jos, Plateau State, where he is widely respected in legal and academic circles. Analysts note that his nomination may reflect the President’s preference for technocrats with strong institutional backgrounds.
Born in Kogi State, Prof. Amupitan is a legal scholar and author with decades of experience in constitutional and commercial law. He previously served as Dean, Faculty of Law, and later Director of Academic Planning at the University of Jos, where he has mentored generations of legal practitioners.
Observers have described Tinubu’s choice as both strategic and symbolic. Prof. Amupitan is believed to be the first Yoruba Christian to be nominated for the position since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999. The last Christian to head INEC was Prof. Maurice Iwu, who served between 2005 and 2010.
Political commentators also note the coincidence that both Prof. Amupitan and the current APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, have longstanding ties to Jos, Plateau State – though they hail from different regions of the country.
