President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has moved to fill key vacancies at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), nominating four national commissioners and two resident electoral commissioners in a fresh round of appointments ahead of the next general elections.
The nominations were announced on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, in a statement from the Presidency.
However, the nominees must secure Senate confirmation before formally assuming their respective positions.
Among the national commissioner nominees is Professor Mustapha Aliu, who is set to represent the North-West, replacing Professor Abdullahi Zuru. Bashir Muhammed Umar has also been nominated to represent the North-Central, taking over from Professor Muhammad Adamu.
In a significant move for the South-West, Tinubu has nominated Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, the serving Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, as a national commissioner. She is expected to succeed Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure expires on October 24.
The shake-up also extends to the commission’s state-level representation, with two new Resident Electoral Commissioners nominated for Ekiti and Jigawa states.
Retired Permanent Secretary Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye has been nominated as REC for Ekiti State, while Zahradden Basiru Sanusi, from Jigawa State, is set to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura.
With the electoral calendar drawing attention to the commission’s readiness, Tinubu has urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process, citing the need to fill the vacancies ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
The nominations now place the spotlight on the National Assembly, where the Senate’s confirmation process will determine how quickly the new appointees can take up their roles at the electoral body.
Tinubu Appoints Four INEC Commissioners, Two RECs Ahead of Elections
