Tinubu Appoints Six New INEC Commissioners Ahead Of 2027
President Bola Tinubu has nominated six new officials to fill vacancies at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Politics Nigeria reports that the nominees include four national commissioners and two resident electoral commissioners (RECs).
The nominations were announced in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. The nominees will be screened by the Senate for confirmation.
Tinubu also reappointed Dr Bala Bila as the national commissioner representing the North East.
Among the newly nominated national commissioners is Professor Mustapha Aliu, who will replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as the representative of the North West.
Bashir Muhammed Umar has also been nominated to replace Professor Muhammad Adamu as the national commissioner representing the North Central.
For the South West, the President nominated Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, the current resident electoral commissioner in Osun State, to replace Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure expires on October 24, 2026.
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, who will replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura.
Tinubu urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process in view of the forthcoming general elections scheduled for January next year.
The appointments come as INEC prepares for the next general elections, with the commission expected to oversee the conduct of the polls across the country.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has directed the women’s mobilisation structure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council to intensify grassroots engagement ahead of the 2027 elections.
The President gave the directive during the inauguration of the campaign council in Abuja, where he charged the Director of Women Mobilisation, Dr Betta Edu, other members of the directorate and party leaders to mobilise support for the APC.
Tinubu praised Nigerian women for their contributions to the country’s political development and the party’s electoral successes. He described them as indispensable to the APC’s re-election efforts, citing their numerical strength, organisational abilities and influence within families and communities.
“Women are the greatest mobilizers,” the President said.
He urged Edu and her team to translate the support of women into a coordinated nationwide campaign capable of securing victory for the party in 2027.
The women’s mobilisation directorate has set a target of securing 40 million women’s votes for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket. Its strategy covers 176,846 communities, as well as political structures across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
This was just as the campaign plans to strengthen ward-level organisation, household engagement, community outreach and polling-unit mobilisation to reach voters beyond major political rallies.
The campaign’s preparations have included activities led by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu. At a pre-inaugural Women’s Summit and Empowerment Programme held in Abuja on October 5, women stakeholders from across the country gathered for an event that featured the distribution of livelihood-support items, including motorbikes and farm trucks, to beneficiaries.
Edu has also called on APC women to maintain unity, discipline and sustained engagement with voters as the party prepares for the next general elections.
