President Bola Tinubu has nominated four new national commissioners and two Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the tenure of some serving officials nears expiration.
The nominees will be screened by the Senate for confirmation, with Tinubu urging lawmakers to expedite the process ahead of the forthcoming general elections scheduled for January next year.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga and made available to The News Chronicle, the President also reappointed Dr Bala Bila as the national commissioner representing the North-East.
The new national commissioners include Professor Mustapha Aliu, who will replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as the North-West representative, and Bashir Muhammed Umar, who will succeed Professor Muhammad Adamu as the North-Central representative.
Tinubu also nominated Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, as the new national commissioner representing the South-West. She is expected to replace Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure expires on October 24.
For the Resident Electoral Commissioner positions, the President nominated retired permanent secretary, Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye, to represent Ekiti State, while Zahradden Basiru Sanusi of Jigawa State will replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura.
The nominations come as preparations gather pace for the next general elections, with the Senate expected to scrutinise the nominees before their appointments are confirmed.
Onanuga said the President had urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process in view of the forthcoming elections.
