President Bola Tinubu has reappointed Dr Bala Bila as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and nominated five other individuals for positions within the electoral body ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The nominations are intended to fill vacancies arising from the expiration of the tenures of serving electoral commissioners, according to a statement issued on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.
Bila will continue to represent the North-East as a National Commissioner.
Among the new nominees, Professor Mustapha Aliu has been nominated to represent the North-West, replacing Professor Abdullahi Zuru, while Bashir Muhammed Umar will represent the North-Central, succeeding Professor Muhammad Adamu.
Tinubu also nominated Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, the current Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, as the National Commissioner representing the South-West. She is expected to replace Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure expires on October 24, 2026.
For the Resident Electoral Commissioner positions, the President nominated retired permanent secretary Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye to represent Ekiti State.
He also nominated Zahradden Basiru Sanusi from Jigawa State to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura as Resident Electoral Commissioner.
The nominations will be subject to screening and confirmation by the Senate.
Tinubu has urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process to ensure that the vacancies are filled ahead of the general elections scheduled for January 2027.
The appointments form part of efforts to maintain the operational capacity of INEC as preparations for the next general elections gather momentum.
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