A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Babatunde Ogala has dismissed reports suggesting that Professor Joash Amupitan, the newly nominated chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was part of the legal team that defended President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election tribunal.
President Tinubu recently nominated Amupitan, 58, a professor of law and deputy vice-chancellor (administration) at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), to succeed Mahmood Yakubu, whose ten-year tenure as INEC chairman has come to an end.
The Council of State on Thursday unanimously endorsed Amupitan’s nomination, which now awaits Senate confirmation.
However, shortly after his nomination, social media reports alleged that Amupitan was among the lawyers who represented Tinubu at the election tribunal — a claim Ogala described as “false and malicious.”
In a statement issued on Friday, Ogala, who served as the coordinator of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team (TPLT), said Amupitan’s name was not among the 123 lawyers officially engaged to represent the president during the 2023 election petition hearings.
“As the erstwhile coordinator of that legal team, I feel compelled, not as a rejoinder, but in service to truth and public interest, to set the records straight and allay any concerns these malicious fabrications may have caused among well-meaning Nigerians,” the statement reads.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Prof. Amupitan SAN was never, at any point, a member of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team.
His name does not appear among the over one hundred and twenty-three legal practitioners who were formally engaged for that assignment, of whom sixty (60) were distinguished Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
At no time during the entire process was his counsel, opinion, or professional service sought or rendered.
I therefore challenge anyone peddling this falsehood to produce verifiable evidence to the contrary. In fact, any member of the public may apply for Certified True Copies of all legal processes filed on behalf of the president-elect (as he then was) to confirm the authenticity of this statement.”
Ogala further urged political commentators and the public to avoid distorting facts, warning that misinformation could undermine the nation’s democratic stability.
“While political discourse is inevitable in any democracy, it is essential that our engagement remains anchored on truth, decency, and national stability. Deliberately twisting facts to inflame public sentiment serves no one and only endangers our collective peace,” he said.
Checks by TheCable on Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the presidential election petition tribunal and Supreme Court verdicts confirmed that Amupitan’s name does not appear among the listed counsel in the cases.
