By Ismaeel Aleem
The National Council of State, on Thursday, unanimously approved Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), succeeding Professor Mahmood Yakubu after his record ten-year tenure.
Nominated by President Bola Tinubu and hailed as apolitical, Amupitan’s appointment marks a historic milestone as the first from Kogi State in the North-Central region, pending Senate confirmation.
Born on 25 April 1967 in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, he embodies scholarly excellence from an early age, topping his undergraduate class at the University of Jos with accolades like the Richard Akinjide Prize and the University Chancellor’s Prize.
Amupitan’s academic credentials are formidable. An alumnus of the University of Jos, he earned an LLB (Hons) in 1987, a BL from the Nigerian Law School in 1988, an LLM in 1993, and a PhD in Law in 2007 all from the same institution.
Called to the Bar in 1988, he specialises in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. Conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in September 2014, his scholarly output includes influential texts such as Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), Principles of Company Law (2013), and An Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014).
Professionally, Amupitan has risen through academia and public service. Joining the University of Jos as an Assistant Lecturer in 1989, he ascended to Professor of Law in 2008, serving as Head of the Department of Public Law (2006–2008), Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008–2014, re-elected for a second term), and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012–2014).
His public roles encompass membership of the Council of Legal Education (2008–2014), the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, and boards like Integrated Dairies Limited and Riss Oil Limited.
A member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Institute of Management, and National Association of Law Teachers, his research spans electoral law reforms, privatisation frameworks, and petroleum industry regulations.
He is married to Dr. Yemisi Amupitan with four children, he maintains a low-profile personal life.
