By Ihechi Enyinnaya
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Coordinator of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team, Babatunde Ogala, has dismissed as false and misleading the reports circulating on social media alleging that the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), was a member of President Bola Tinubu’s legal team.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 10, 2025, Ogala described the claims as “malicious fabrications” aimed at misleading the public and undermining confidence in the electoral institution.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Prof. Amupitan SAN was never, at any point, a member of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team,” Ogala stated. “His name does not appear among the over 123 legal practitioners formally engaged for that assignment, of whom sixty (60) were Senior Advocates of Nigeria.”
The former legal team coordinator clarified that Prof. Amupitan neither offered counsel nor rendered any professional service to the team during or after the 2023 presidential election petitions.
Ogala further challenged those spreading the claims to produce verifiable evidence to back their assertions, adding that certified true copies of all legal documents filed by the Tinubu team were publicly accessible.
“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 warned.
Ogala commended President Tinubu for lawfully exercising his constitutional prerogative in appointing the new INEC chairman and urged the public, especially media practitioners, to refrain from peddling baseless and divisive narratives.
He reaffirmed his commitment to justice, fairness, and the strengthening of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
“Let truth, not mischief, guide our national conversations,” Ogala concluded.