Author: Our Correspondent

The National Council of State has approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) from the North-Central as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

This is contained in a Statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga made available to state house correspondent today in Anima.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan as the nominee to fill the vacant position, following Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s exit. Yakubu served from 2015 till October 2025.

President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical.

Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing Amupitan as a man of integrity.

In compliance with the constitution, President Tinubu will now send Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening.

Amupitan, 58, from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu LGA in Kogi State, is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau. He is also an alumnus of the university.

He specialises in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance and Privatisation Law. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in September 2014.

Amupitan was born on April 25, 1967.

After completing primary and secondary education, he attended 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 earned an LLM at UNIJOS in 1993 and a PhD in 2007, amid an academic career that began in 1989, following his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation in Bauchi from 1988 to 1989.

Currently, he serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, a position he holds in conjunction with being the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.

Among the academic positions he has held at UNIJOS are: 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).

Outside of academics, Amupitan serves as a board member of Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, a member of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, and a member of the Council of Legal Education (2008-2014), among other roles. He was a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja(1996-2004).

Amupitan is the author of many 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.

By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo

Residents of Uyo and other parts of Akwa Ibom have expressed worry over rising cases of domestic violence in the state.

This followed the reported killing of an army officer, Lieutenant Samson Haruna, the Regimental Medical Officer of 6 Battalion allegedly by his wife, Retyit Haruna, a nurse.

They therefore called on religious and traditional leaders to do more to instill the virtue of peaceful coexistence among their children in marriage.

They also called for periodic counselling from members of the families for young couples inorder to avert the increasing violence and other problems arising from dispute among yiung couples.

Such efforts they said would make for healthy relationships, address domestic violence, and foster a culture of respect and dialogue within families.

The couple, it was gathered were barely 5 months in the marriage though there has been no official statement from the Army.

It was gathered that the deceased succumbed to severe burns inflicted on him in a domestic incident by the wife at their residence in Wellington Bassey Barracks, on September 22, 2025.

The late Haruna was said to have been caught in the inferno.

The deceased was said to have sustained severe burns, was initially stabilised at the Battalion Medical facility, and later transferred to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital for further treatment, where he died.

By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo

A Non Governmental Organisation, Open Forum for Humanity Organisation has called for truce and maturity in the handling of the use of traditional injunction by a
female traditional worshipper in her shrine to draw the attention of Governor Umo Eno to the handling of a land dispute in Akwa Ibom.

It has also called on the traditional institution to reject being used by political actors in the state to further their personal and selfish interests.

In a statement in Uyo endorsed by it’s Founder, Citizen Mathew Koffi Okono,a Productivity Advocate and Reformer, the organisation expressed dissatisfaction over the poor handling of the incident which went viral on social media.

It expressed saddeness that the attention given to Princess Godown Udoito’s private worship in her shrine attracted swift action rather than the reason for her act and appealed for amicable and discreet resolution of the matter because of some sensitive issues surrounding it.

“Open Forum is deeply concerned that the revered Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers in the State has been dragged into the case, not in the course of resolving the land matter, but in reaction to a traditional worshipper, Princess God’own Udoito’s private session at her shrine.

“This daughter of Esit Eket whose method of advocacy for the resolution of the land case went from her known Facebook podcast to using traditional items such as Ayei (Fresh palm frond) and Ufofob (local gin) to offer traditional prayers on the Stubb Creek matter at her shrine.

In a video which trended on social media, three Paramount Rulers, as emissaries of the Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers Council had gone to the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Esit Eket to deliver a message from the Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers Council, directing the Esit Eket Monarch and a clan head to bring Princess Udoito to a meeting at the State Traditional Rulers Council Chambers, .

“The traditional summons which involved the presentation of “ayei” raised mixed feelings with unfavorable comments across the State and beyond. The proposed meeting could not however hold as scheduled.

“In our pursuit of an amicable resolution of the incident, Open Forum had conversations with some royal fathers of interest over the matter, appealing for discreet resolution because of certain sensitive issues surrounding it.

It said the exposure of some protocols of the traditional rulers to social media was unacceptable and a disrespect to the sacred Identity of the traditional institution.

“This was made worse by the individual that secretly recorded and circulated on social media the amateur video of the supposed rare and sacred event of royal fathers on a special traditional visit to their colleague.

“This is an embarrassment to the traditional institution and the people of the State. The perpetrator should be warned against such breach of protocol and secrecy in future.

“The revered traditional institution must be insulated from poor sense of judgement, petty influences and crude interests of politically exposed persons who are ever ready to sacrifice anything in an attempt to manage their challenged reputations and retain their source(s) of lifelihood. ” The statement said.

He called for the setting up of a Palace Advisory Council for each of the Paramount Rulers in the state inorder to avoid decisions on critical issues only in the hands of the royal father’s alone to take.

“To ensure our royal fathers have access to bright minds to analyse and advise them on critical issues such as this before they take a decision for, or against we advocate the mandatory establishment of Palace Advisory Councils for all Paramount Rulers in the state. Clan Heads should have it too.

” Decisions on critical issues should not be left to the royal fathers alone to take with thorough review and expert recommendations. No royal father should be taken unaware of issues, particularly issues of consequence.

“We most respectfully appeal to our royal fathers to manage the outcome of the September 20, 2023 summons to avoid drawing the traditional institution to needless controversies beyond what is in public domain so far.

“We also appeal to those using the oppurtunity to taunt royal fathers to please cease further acts. As much as no one should be silenced while fighting for justice, a blanket demeaning of the traditional institution is a no, no. Where clear and outstanding issues of intentional oppressions and integrity are established, such can be treated as a stand- alone or isolated case. ” It said.

It expressed worry over the silence of political leaders, stakeholders, heads of socio-cultural organizations, opinion and religious leaders in the state over critical issues adding that everything should not be left to the Governor to attend to before they are resolved in the State.

“It is no longer a secret that some of those who should be solving crises are themselves perpetrators of crisis. Those who are always visible at ceremonies within and outside the State should not become invisible when responsibilities of leadership beckons. All hands must be on deck to make Akwa Ibom State a land where injustice and oppression are taboos.” The statement concluded.