President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the name of Professor Joash Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to the Senate for confirmation as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The request was conveyed in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s plenary session. The President urged the lawmakers to give the nomination their “usual expeditious consideration,” noting that it was made in accordance with Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,” Tinubu wrote, enclosing the nominee’s curriculum vitae for review.
Akpabio subsequently referred the request to the Committee of the Whole for consideration “as soon as practicable.”
In a separate communication, President Tinubu also sought Senate approval for the appointment of Mrs. Ayo Omidiran as Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, along with 28 others as Federal Commissioners, including Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi from Kwara State.
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Amupitan’s nomination follows the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s 10-year tenure as INEC Chairman in October 2025.
The National Council of State had earlier endorsed Amupitan’s appointment during its meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to the Presidency, Amupitan, a 58-year-old Professor of Law from Kogi State, is the first person from the North-Central region to be nominated for the role.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga noted that the President, in line with constitutional requirements, has now formally transmitted Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
