President Bola Tinubu has nominated four National Commissioners and two Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the electoral body prepares for the 2027 general elections.
The appointments are intended to fill vacancies created by the expiration of the tenures of some serving commissioners and are subject to screening and confirmation by the Senate.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced the nominations in a State House statement issued on Friday.
According to the Presidency, Tinubu also reappointed Dr Bala Bila as National Commissioner representing the North-East.
Professor Mustapha Aliu was nominated as National Commissioner representing the North-West and is expected to replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru.
For the North-Central, Tinubu nominated Bashir Muhammed Umar to replace Professor Muhammad Adamu.
The President also recommended the elevation of Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, currently the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, to become the National Commissioner representing the South-West.
If confirmed by the Senate, Babalola will replace Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure expires on October 24, 2026.
At the state level, Tinubu nominated retired Permanent Secretary, Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye, as Resident Electoral Commissioner representing Ekiti State.
Zahradden Basiru Sanusi, from Jigawa State, was also nominated as a Resident Electoral Commissioner to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura.
“The Senate will scrutinise all the nominees”, Onanuga said.
The President urged the upper chamber of the National Assembly to expedite the confirmation process, citing the approaching general elections and the need to fill the vacancies within the electoral commission.
The nominations come at a particularly crucial period for INEC, which is moving deeper into preparations for the 2027 electoral cycle.
Political parties are also stepping up their preparations, with attention increasingly shifting to candidate selection, campaigns and other statutory processes ahead of the polls.
