President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated four new national commissioners and two Resident Electoral Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as vacancies emerge ahead of Nigeria’s next general elections.
The nominations were announced by the State House on Friday, October 16, 2026, following the expiration of the tenures of several electoral officials. The nominees will be subject to screening and confirmation by the Senate.
Tinubu has also reappointed Dr Bala Bila as the national commissioner representing the North East.
Among the new national commissioner nominees is Professor Mustapha Aliu, who is expected to replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as the representative of the North West.
Bashir Muhammed Umar has been nominated to replace Professor Muhammad Adamu as the North Central representative.
The President also nominated Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, currently the 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 ends on October 24.
The two nominees for Resident Electoral Commissioner positions are retired Permanent Secretary Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye, who will represent Ekiti State, and Zahradden Basiru Sanusi from Jigawa State. Sanusi is expected to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura.
The nominations come as INEC prepares for the next general elections, increasing the importance of filling vacant positions within the commission and ensuring its leadership structure is fully constituted.
President Tinubu urged the Senate to speed up the screening and confirmation process, citing the need to strengthen INEC’s preparations for the general elections scheduled for January.
The appointments will take effect subject to Senate confirmation and the completion of the required constitutional and legal procedures.
The new appointments are expected to add to the commission’s leadership as it prepares to manage electoral activities, voter registration, election logistics and other preparations for the upcoming polls.
The nominations were contained in a statement posted by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy on his X account.
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