President Bola Tinubu is poised to unveil his preferred candidate for the position of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the National Council of State today at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, barring any last-minute changes.
This development follows the recent exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who formally handed over the leadership of the Commission on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, to Dame May Agbamuche-Mbu, the most senior national commissioner, now serving in acting capacity.
Reliable sources within the Presidency disclosed that Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, a distinguished academic and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, has emerged as the leading contender for the top electoral post. It is expected that his nomination will be officially confirmed once the Council of State is briefed.
Professor Amupitan, born on April 25, 1967, in Aiyetoro-Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, is a respected scholar of law with expertise in Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, Corporate Law, and Privatisation Law. He has spent decades in academia, contributing significantly to legal education and institutional development at the University of Jos.
If confirmed, Tinubu’s prompt nomination would contrast sharply with the approach of his predecessor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari, under whose administration the electoral body was left without a constituted quorum for several months following a change in leadership — a delay that affected INEC’s operations.
According to insider reports, today’s Council of State meeting will be pivotal in ratifying the choice of Yakubu’s successor, effectively shaping the direction of Nigeria’s next electoral cycle.
