Onanuga stated that the National Council of State has approved Amupitan’s nomination. President Tinubu presented Amupitan as the nominee to fill the vacant position following the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served from 2015 until October 2025. Tinubu noted that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi State in the North-Central region to be nominated for the position and described him as apolitical.
The council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo praising Amupitan as a man of integrity. In compliance with the constitution, President Tinubu will now forward Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening.
Amupitan, 58, 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, and an alumnus of the institution. His areas of specialization include Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. He was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in September 2014.
Born on April 25, 1967, Amupitan completed his primary and secondary education before attending 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. He obtained an LLM from the University of Jos in 1993 and a PhD in 2007. His academic career began in 1989 after completing his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation from 1988 to 1989.
Currently, he serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos and is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State. Throughout his career at the University of Jos, he has held several key positions, including Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012-2014), Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008-2014), and Head of Public Law (2006-2008).
Beyond academia, Amupitan has served on various boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, and the Council of Legal Education (2008-2014). He was also a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja, from 1996 to 2004.
Amupitan is a prolific author, having written several books on law, such as Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), Principles of Company Law (2013), and An Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014).
He is married and has four children.