President Bola Tinubu has nominated six individuals for appointment to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including four national commissioners and two resident electoral commissioners.
The nominations are intended to fill vacancies arising from the expiration of the tenures of serving officials, according to a statement issued on Friday by the President’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga.
The nominees will be subjected to Senate scrutiny and confirmation before assuming their respective positions.
Tinubu has also urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process in view of the preparations for the forthcoming general elections.
The four nominees for national commissioner positions include Professor Mustapha Aliu, who is expected to represent the North-West, replacing Professor Abdullahi Zuru.
Bashir Muhammed Umar was nominated for the North-Central zone to succeed Professor Muhammad Adamu, while Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, currently a resident electoral commissioner in Osun State, was nominated to represent the South-West, replacing Professor Cornelius Ajayi.
The President also reappointed Dr Bala Bila as national commissioner representing the North-East.
For the resident electoral commissioner positions, Tinubu nominated Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye for Ekiti State and Zahradden Basiru Sanusi for Jigawa State. Sanusi is expected to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura.
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The nominations will require legislative consideration before the appointees can formally take up their responsibilities.
INEC Chairman Speaks On AI And 2027 Elections
The nominations come as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the commission’s chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, reaffirming that technology will not determine electoral outcomes.
Amupitan said the will of Nigerians, expressed through their votes, would remain the decisive factor in determining election winners.
He made the declaration at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, which focused on safeguarding the 2027 general elections in the age of artificial intelligence.
According to the INEC chairman, technology should support human decision-making, improve institutional efficiency and strengthen transparency in electoral administration rather than override the choices of voters.
“AI must remain servant, not master, of Nigerian democracy,” he said.
