Prof. Amupitan tipped as replacement for INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu

Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) has been identified as the frontrunner to take over from Professor Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Earlier this week, it was reported that President Bola  Tinubu directed Yakubu to begin his terminal leave ahead of the end of his tenure.

According to a report by SaharaReporterters, the president’s decision followed what allies of the administration allegedly described as Yakubu’s “last-minute betrayal” of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

The directive reportedly forced INEC to cancel Yakubu’s final consultative meeting with political parties as well as a planned session with civil society organisations.

The presidency is now expected to forward the name of a new INEC chair to the National Assembly in the coming days, with Amupitan emerging as the likely nominee.

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Yakubu’s second and final five-year term formally ends in the first week of December 2025, bringing to a close a decade at the helm of the electoral body.

He was first appointed in October 2015 by then-President Muhammadu Buhari, confirmed by the Senate later that month, and sworn in on November 9. Buhari reappointed him in 2020 for another term, which was also confirmed by the Senate.

“Tinubu is shopping for Prof. Yakubu’s replacement, and Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan is likely to be the next INEC Chairman,” a senior government source disclosed.

Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is a seasoned academic and legal expert with over three decades of professional and teaching experience. From Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, he is married to Dr. (Mrs.) Yemisi Amupitan, and they have four children.

He began lecturing at the University of Jos in 1989 and rose steadily through the ranks to become a Professor of Law in 2008. Over the years, he has served as Head of the Department of Public Law, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors, and as a member of the university’s Governing Council.

His career has also included seats on the Governing Councils of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the Council of Legal Education. He currently serves as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) of the University of Jos.

In December 2023, he was appointed 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 bar in 1988. He later earned a Master of Laws in 1993 and a Ph.D. in Law in 2007, both from the same institution. He was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014.

His areas of expertise span Evidence Law, Corporate Governance, Corporate Law, and Privatisation Law. He has published extensively on privatisation, electoral law reforms, petroleum law, and governance issues.

(SAHARAREPORTERTERS)