Tinubu Reappoints Bila As INEC National Commissioner And Names Five New INEC Nominees Ahead Of 2027

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reappointed Dr Bala Bila as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and nominated five other persons to fill vacancies in the electoral body. The announcement was made on Friday, October 17, 2026, in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the statement, the new nominees will be screened by the Senate for confirmation before they take office. The Presidency said the nominations became necessary following the expiration of the tenures of some serving officials of the Commission.

The list contains a bulk decision covering six names in total. Dr Bala Bila was reappointed to continue representing the North-East geopolitical zone as National Commissioner. He is the only returning National Commissioner in this batch, and his reappointment is expected to bring continuity to the Commission as it prepares for the next general elections. The other five new nominees comprise three additional National Commissioners and two Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

Professor Mustapha Aliu has been nominated to replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as the National Commissioner representing the North-West. Professor Zuru's tenure has expired. Bashir Muhammed Umar was nominated to replace Professor Muhammad Adamu as the National Commissioner representing the North-Central. The Presidency said Umar will bring fresh perspective to the North-Central slot which is a key electoral zone.

For the South-West, President Tinubu nominated Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, who currently serves as the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, as the new National Commissioner. She is expected to succeed Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure expires on October 24, 2026. Her nomination is significant because it represents a promotion from a state-level REC position to a national-level Commissioner position. Having managed elections at the state level, she has direct field experience with voter registration, logistics, and election day operations. Her elevation shows that performance at the REC level can lead to higher national responsibility within INEC.

For the Resident Electoral Commissioner positions, the President nominated two persons. Retired permanent secretary Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye was nominated to represent Ekiti State as REC. The second nominee is Zahradden Basiru Sanusi from Jigawa State, who was nominated to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura as REC for Jigawa. RECs are very important in Nigeria's electoral system because they are in charge of INEC operations in each state. They supervise Continuous Voter Registration, recruitment and training of ad-hoc staff, management of polling units, and implementation of all INEC policies at the state level.

The Presidency explained that all the appointments were made to fill vacancies created by the expiration of tenures, not by dismissal or resignation due to misconduct. This is a routine process under Section 154 of the 1999 Constitution which empowers the President to appoint National Commissioners and RECs subject to Senate confirmation. Once nominated, the Senate will refer the names to its Committee on Electoral Matters for screening. The nominees will be asked to present their credentials, declare their assets, prove that they are non-partisan and not card-carrying members of any political party, and demonstrate knowledge of the Electoral Act 2022 and the Nigerian Constitution. If the Committee is satisfied, it will recommend them to the full Senate for confirmation by a simple majority vote. Their tenure is five years and renewable once for National Commissioners.

President Tinubu has urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process to ensure that all vacant positions are filled well before the 2027 general elections. In the statement, Onanuga noted that early confirmation will allow INEC to have a full complement of commissioners to take critical decisions, test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), improve the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), continue voter registration, and prepare logistics for the polls. For the 2023 elections, INEC faced criticism over technical glitches and late arrival of materials in some states. Having a fully constituted commission at least a year before the next elections will give the electoral body time to address those challenges and build public confidence.

The bulk nature of this decision is also strategic. By nominating six commissioners at once, the Presidency is trying to avoid piecemeal appointments that could leave some zones unrepresented for months. A bulk appointment ensures regional balance, as each geopolitical zone has a National Commissioner representing it on the INEC board. It also allows the Senate to conduct one comprehensive screening exercise rather than multiple separate exercises, which saves legislative time and resources. This is why the editor's note about bulk decision matters — it is not six isolated appointments, but one coordinated move to reconstitute the Commission.

Reactions to the nominations have been largely calm. No major opposition has been raised against any of the nominees as at press time. Civil society organisations such as Yiaga Africa and the Centre for Democracy and Development have previously called for thorough screening to ensure that nominees are not politically exposed persons. The current list is made up of academics, a serving REC, a retired permanent secretary, and other technocrats, which aligns with the public demand for neutral and competent election managers.

If confirmed, the new commissioners will join the INEC Chairman and other existing National Commissioners to form the policy-making board of INEC. Their first tasks will include overseeing off-cycle governorship elections, bye-elections, and the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise nationwide. For ordinary Nigerians, the key question is whether this new team will deliver a more credible, transparent, and efficient election in 2027 than what was experienced in 2023.

The Senate is expected to announce a date for the screening in the coming days. Once confirmed, the nominees will be sworn in and immediately assume duty at INEC headquarters in Abuja and their respective states.