The African Democratic Congress has reacted to the nomination of Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement signed by the spokesperson of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, hours after Amupitan’s nomination was made public on Thursday, the opposition party said it is ready to give the new INEC chair the benefit of the doubt in leading the electoral body.
In the statement titled ‘ADC’s Preliminary Reaction to the Nomination of Professor Amupitan as New INEC Chairman’, the opposition party said it expects the professor of law to restore the confidence of Nigerians and the world in Nigerian elections.
“We are cautious. But we expect the new INEC Chairman to have a personal ambition to do better and restore the confidence of Nigerians and the world in Nigerian elections.
“He must understand that his loyalty is with the Nigerian people, not the government.
“We are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt based on his track record. But now he has the opportunity to make a good name for himself that his children would be proud of, or to soil his record and end up with ignominy.
“He should bear in mind also that his tenure will ordinarily last beyond one electoral cycle. He should therefore look beyond the interest of those who have appointed him,” the statement said.
On Thursday, the National Council of State has approved the nomination of Professor Amupitan as the new Chairman of INEC.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Assistant to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
He said that President Bola Tinubu presented Amupitan as the nominee to fill the vacant position, following Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s exit. Yakubu served from 2015 till October 2025.
According to Onanuga, President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical.
“Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing Amupitan as a man of integrity,” the statement said.
It added that in compliance with the constitution, President Tinubu will now send Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening.
Born on April 25, 1967, the 58-year-old Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau State. He is also an alumnus of the university.
He specialises in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance and Privatisation Law. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in September 2014.
After completing primary and secondary education, he attended Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, from 1982 to 1984, and the University of Jos from 1984 to 1987. He was called to the bar in 1988.
Amupitan earned an LLM at UNIJOS in 1993 and a PhD in 2007, amid an academic career that began in 1989, following his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation in Bauchi from 1988 to 1989.
He currently serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, a position he holds in conjunction with being the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
