President Bola Tinubu, may present his nominee for the post of the chairman of the National Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, to the National Council of State, today at Aso Rock, Presidential Villa, Abuja. Barring any last-minute changes.

Being said, that tenure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as INEC chairman ends next month, and on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, he handed over to the most senior National Commissioner, Dame May Agbamuche-Mbu.

Of the three nominees written down to replace Yakubu, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan “came highly recommended” and would be announced after the Council of State has been briefed.

It was also said, that Professor Amupitan, who hails from Kogi State (North Central), has already “undergone security screening.”

He is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos.

April 25, 1967, in Aiyetoro-Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Amupitan is a Professor of Law, with specialisation and experience in Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, Corporate Law and Privatisation Law and has taught in the university for years.

Tinubu’s move will be a clear departure from what his predecessor, late President Muhammadu Buhari, did during his eight-year tenure.

The four-man quorum expected at INEC was not formed until four months later, leaving the commission in limbo.

The appointment of members to INEC is primarily governed by Section 153(1) and the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

It establishes the commission and outlines its composition.

Appointments are made by the President, with confirmation by the Senate, and must follow due consultation with the National Council of State.

The Constitution and the Electoral Act specify qualifications and non-partisanship required for appointed members.

Though, some of the appointments already made by President Tinubu into INEC did not enjoy the benefit of the constitutionally-required consultation with the Council of State, as a number of National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, have before now been appointed, confirmed by the Senate and sworn-in.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, called out President Tinubu on the appointment of at least three alleged All Progressives Congress, APC, members into the leadership of INEC.

It was also said by an Aso Rockn sources, that President Tinubu took more than a casual interest in the process leading up to the choice of the new INEC chairman.

At press time, still, there were conflicting signals that the president may tarry with the expected presentation of his choice, today.