Tinubu Nominates New INEC Commissioners Ahead of Elections

President Bola Tinubu has nominated four national commissioners and two resident electoral commissioners (RECs) to fill vacancies at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in preparation for the 2027 general elections. The announcement was made via a State House press release by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

The nominations are subject to Senate scrutiny and confirmation, with the President urging lawmakers to expedite the process due to the upcoming elections scheduled for January. Among the nominees, Dr Bala Bila was reappointed as the national commissioner representing the North-East.

New national commissioners include Professor Mustapha Aliu, replacing Professor Abdullahi Zuru for the North-West, and Bashir Muhammed Umar, who will take over from Professor Muhammad Adamu as the North-Central representative. Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, the current REC in Osun State, is nominated as the South-West representative, replacing Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure ends on October 24.

For the RECs, Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye was nominated for Ekiti State, while Zahradden Basiru Sanusi will replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura from Jigawa State.