President Bola Tinubu is set to nominate Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the next National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following the conclusion of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu’s decade-long tenure across two terms.
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According to SaharaReporters, to formalize the appointment, President Tinubu has scheduled a meeting of the Council of State for Thursday, with Prof. Joash Amupitan, a native of Ijumu Local Government Area in Kogi State, set to assume the role.
The development comes after Tinubu directed Yakubu to proceed on terminal leave ahead of the expiration of his tenure, following allegations from Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma that Yakubu’s actions in registering new political parties had disrupted the president’s preparations for a second term. The governor also reportedly claimed that Yakubu was covertly supporting a candidate in the upcoming Imo State governorship election.
Yakubu, first appointed INEC Chairman on October 21, 2015, by then-President Muhammadu Buhari, was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in on November 9, 2015. He completed his first term in November 2020, and after being nominated for a second term, was confirmed and sworn in on December 1, 2020.
Professor Amupitan is a legal scholar and administrator with over 34 years of academic and professional experience. He began his academic career as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Jos in 1989, rising to Reader in 2003 and Professor of Law in 2008. He has held key administrative roles including Head of the Department of Public Law, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors, and member of the University’s Governing Council.
He also serves on the Governing Councils of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the Council of Legal Education. Currently, he is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos. In December 2023, he was inaugurated as the second Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU).
Amupitan obtained his Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Jos in 1987 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988. He earned a Master of Law degree in 1993 and a Ph.D. in Law in 2007 from the University of Jos. He was conferred the prestigious title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.
His areas of specialization include the Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, Corporate Law, and Privatisation Law. He has conducted research on legal frameworks for privatisation, electoral law reforms, and petroleum and corporate governance regulations. He is an active member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Institute of Management, and the National Association of Law Teachers.
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