By Kabiru Abbas
ABUJA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reappointed Dr. Bala Bila as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and nominated six other persons to fill existing vacancies in the electoral management body ahead of the January 2027 general elections.
The nominations, which include four National Commissioners and two Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, were made following the expiration of the tenures of some serving officials of the Commission.
This was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, and made available to State House correspondents.
According to the statement, the President has forwarded the names of the nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation in line with constitutional provisions.
Those nominated as National Commissioners are Dr. Bala Bila, who is being reappointed, Professor Mustapha Aliu, who has been nominated to replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as the National Commissioner representing the North-West geopolitical zone, and Bashir Muhammed Umar, who will replace Professor Muhammad Adamu as the National Commissioner representing the North-Central.
Also nominated is Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, the current Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Osun State, who has been elevated to 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, President Tinubu nominated retired Permanent Secretary, Dr. Samuel Akinjide Akinleye, to represent Ekiti State, while Zahradden Basiru Sanusi, from Jigawa State, was nominated to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura as REC.
The Presidency said the nominations became necessary to fill vacancies arising from the expiration of the tenures of serving commissioners and RECs, and to ensure that INEC is fully constituted and operationally ready for the forthcoming elections.
President Tinubu, according to Onanuga, has urged the Senate to expedite action on the confirmation process to avoid any vacuum in the leadership of the electoral body as preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify.
The statement noted that the appointments will take effect only after the Senate completes its screening and confirms the nominees.
The development comes at a time when INEC is expected to release its timetable for the 2027 general elections and commence early preparations, including voter registration, procurement of election materials and recruitment of ad-hoc staff.
The timely constitution of INEC’s leadership is crucial to rebuilding public confidence in the electoral process, especially after concerns raised during the 2023 general elections.
The Senate is expected to refer the nominations to its Committee on Electoral Matters for further legislative action upon resumption of plenary.
With the general elections fixed for January 2027, stakeholders have stressed the need for INEC to be fully staffed and equipped to deliver credible, transparent and acceptable polls.
The reappointment of Dr. Bala Bila, who is a serving National Commissioner, is seen as part of efforts to retain institutional memory within the Commission, while the injection of new hands is expected to strengthen INEC’s capacity at both national and state levels.
Once confirmed, the new commissioners and RECs will be sworn in and deployed to their respective zones and states.