President Bola Tinubu has reappointed Dr Bala Bila as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and nominated six other candidates to occupy vacant positions in the commission.
The nominations include four National Commissioners and two Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), according to a statement released on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.
Among the nominees, Professor Mustapha Aliu is to replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as the National Commissioner representing the North-West, while Bashir Muhammed Umar has been nominated to succeed Professor Muhammad Adamu as the North-Central representative.
The President also nominated Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, the current Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, for the position of National Commissioner representing the South-West. She will replace Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure is due to end on October 24.
For the two vacant REC positions, Tinubu nominated Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye, a retired permanent secretary, to represent Ekiti State.
Zahradden Basiru Sanusi, from Jigawa State, was nominated to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura as a Resident Electoral Commissioner.
Onanuga said the nominations were made to fill vacancies created by the expiration of the tenures of some officials serving in the electoral commission.
He added that the nominees would be presented to the Senate for screening and confirmation before their appointments could take effect.
Tinubu called on the Senate to fast-track the confirmation process, citing the need to fill the vacant positions ahead of the forthcoming general elections scheduled for January next year.
The Senate is expected to scrutinise the nominees as part of the confirmation process for their respective positions in INEC.
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