Ogala Clarifies: Amupitan Not Part of Tinubu’s Tribunal Legal Team

Babatunde Ogala, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and coordinator of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team (TPLT), has clarified that Professor Joash Amupitan, the newly nominated chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was not part of the legal team that defended President Bola Tinubu at the election tribunal.

Amupitan, 58, a professor of law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) and deputy vice-chancellor (administration), was recently nominated by Tinubu to succeed Mahmood Yakubu as INEC chairman. His appointment has been approved by the council of state but is still subject to Senate confirmation.

Shortly after the announcement, reports circulated claiming that Amupitan had been among the lawyers representing Tinubu at the 2023 election tribunal. Responding, Ogala, in a statement on Friday, said Amupitan was never part of the 123-member legal team.

“As the former coordinator of that legal team, I feel compelled to set the records straight in service to truth and public interest,” Ogala said. “Prof. Amupitan SAN was never, at any point, a member of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team. His counsel, opinion, or professional services were neither sought nor rendered. I challenge anyone spreading this falsehood to provide verifiable evidence to the contrary.”

Ogala urged Nigerians to rely on verified facts and maintain national stability in political discourse, warning against deliberately twisting information to inflame public sentiment.

A review of the certified tribunal and Supreme Court judgments confirmed that Amupitan’s name does not appear among Tinubu’s counsel.