The nomination, forwarded by President Bola Tinubu, signals the end of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s controversial two-term tenure, which has been marred by allegations of electoral irregularities and public distrust in recent polls.

The announcement came during Tuesday’s Senate plenary session, where Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s formal letter invoking the 1999 Constitution (as amended). 

The document, accompanied by Amupitan’s comprehensive curriculum vitae, urged the upper chamber for “expeditious confirmation” to ensure seamless continuity at INEC. 

Akpabio promptly referred the matter to the Committee of the Whole, setting the stage for a live-broadcast screening that could see Amupitan sworn in as early as next week.Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, a legal luminary with decades of expertise in constitutional and electoral law, emerges as a beacon of potential reform. 

Sources close to the presidency describe him as a “neutral arbiter” whose academic rigor and impartiality could restore faith in Nigeria’s democracy. 

Last week, the influential Council of State endorsed his candidacy, underscoring broad elite consensus amid growing demands from civil society for a leader untainted by partisan shadows.

The vacancy at INEC’s helm follows Yakubu’s exit on June 28, 2025, after serving since 2015.