A fact-check by TheCable has confirmed that Professor Joash Amupitan, President Tinubu’s nominee for INEC chairman, was not part of the president’s legal team at the 2023 election tribunal.
A fact-check by TheCable has debunked viral social media claims that Professor Joash Amupitan, the newly nominated chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was a member of President Bola Tinubu’s legal team during the 2023 presidential election tribunal.
The claim gained traction online shortly after Tinubu announced Amupitan’s nomination to replace Mahmood Yakubu, who completed his 10-year tenure.
Critics alleged that Amupitan, a professor of law at the University of Jos, had served as counsel for the president, questioning his neutrality to lead the electoral body.
However, TheCable Check reviewed certified true copies (CTC) of tribunal and Supreme Court judgments from the 2023 elections and found no record of Amupitan’s name among Tinubu’s lawyers. Instead, the report noted that “Taiwo Osipitan,” a senior advocate and professor at the University of Lagos, appeared on the list—suggesting that online users may have mistaken him for Amupitan.
“The available evidence showed that Amupitan was not a member of Tinubu’s legal team at the 2023 election tribunal,” the report concluded, describing the circulating claim as false.