President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated four national commissioners and two Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to fill vacancies at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The nominations follow the expiration of the tenures of some serving commissioners, according to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The President has also reappointed Dr Bala Bila as the national commissioner representing the North-East geopolitical zone.
The new national commissioner nominees include Professor Mustapha Aliu, who is expected to replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as the representative of the North-West, and Bashir Muhammed Umar, nominated to replace Professor Muhammad Adamu as the representative of the North-Central.
Tinubu also nominated Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, the serving Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, as the new national commissioner representing the South-West. She is expected to replace Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure expires on October 24.
For the Resident Electoral Commissioner positions, the President nominated retired Permanent Secretary Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye to represent Ekiti State, while Zahradden Basiru Sanusi, from Jigawa State, was nominated to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura.
The nominees will be subjected to screening and confirmation by the Senate.
President Tinubu urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process in view of the forthcoming general elections scheduled for January 2027.
The appointments are expected to strengthen the commission’s leadership as it prepares for the next general elections.
