President Bola Tinubu is reportedly preparing to appoint Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), replacing Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose 10-year tenure has come to an end.
Sources confirmed that Tinubu has scheduled a Council of State meeting for Thursday to formalize the appointment.
Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Professor of Law, is known as a close ally and legal counsel to Senator Dino Melaye for over a decade.
SaharaReporters earlier revealed that Amupitan had emerged as Tinubu’s preferred choice after Yakubu was directed to proceed on terminal leave.
The decision reportedly followed allegations that Yakubu’s late-term actions including attempts to register new political parties were seen as undermining Tinubu’s 2027 re-election strategy.
According to insider accounts, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma briefed Tinubu shortly after his return from a 12-day working vacation, alleging that Yakubu had secretly supported a candidate during the Imo governorship election.
Tinubu subsequently instructed the INEC chief to step aside pending a full transition process.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2015, was reappointed in 2020 for a second and final term.
His tenure is set to officially end this year.
Amupitan, who hails from Ijumu Local Government Area in Kogi State, boasts over three decades of legal and academic experience.
He began lecturing at the University of Jos in 1989 and rose to the rank of Professor in 2008.
Over the years, he has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law, Head of the Department of Public Law, and a member of several governing councils, including the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the Council of Legal Education.
Currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, Amupitan also serves as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU).
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 and conferred with the prestigious title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014.
A renowned legal scholar, his specializations include Corporate Governance, Law of Evidence, Corporate Law, and Privatisation Law.
He has published several works on electoral law reforms, corporate governance, and petroleum sector regulation.
Tinubu’s final decision is expected to be ratified after the upcoming Council of State meeting. If approved, Professor Amupitan will become the country’s next electoral umpire, taking charge ahead of the 2027 general elections.
