23rd October 2025, NewsOrient, Politics, News, Governance And Development, Law And Society

Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sworn in Prof. Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The swearing in is coming a week after the Senate confirmed his nomination on 16th October 2025.

While swearing him in, President Tinubu charged Amupitan to protect the integrity of the country’s elections and electoral process as well as strengthen the institutional capacity of INEC.

During the Senate screening of the Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria for the top job, the 58-year-old academic was questioned by Senators on his plans to restore credibility to Nigeria’s electoral process and drive meaningful reforms within the commission.

He succeeds Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC Chairman officially ended recently.

He thus becomes the sixth substantive head of the electoral body.

While addressing the Senate during his screening, Amupitan had promised to prioritise electoral reforms that would ensure transparent polls and boost public confidence in election outcomes.

He stated: ‘We must conduct elections where even the loser will congratulate the winner and say, ‘You won fairly and well.’ When that happens, voters’ confidence will naturally be restored’, he said.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also dismissed reports linking him to President Tinubu’s legal team during the 2023 Presidential Election Petition. ‘I never appeared before the presidential election tribunal or the Supreme Court for any of the parties’, he told lawmakers.

His first major task is the Anambra State governorship election, to hold on 8 November 2025, few days after his assumption of office.

Born on 25 April 1967, Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos (Unijos), Plateau State. He is also an alumnus of the university.

He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in September 2014.

Until his new appointment, he was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at Unijos, a position he held in conjunction with being the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.

~ Published By NewsOrient Network

For News, Inter
views, Special Events Coverage, Advertisements, Corporate Reports, etc., Contact:
Email: Newsorientng@gmail.com

Website: https://newsorientng.com
Phone: +2348023165410; +2348064041541