President Bola Tinubu has urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation of six nominees to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill vacancies arising from the expiration of serving officials’ tenures.

The nominees comprise four national commissioners and two resident electoral commissioners, whose appointments are expected to strengthen the commission ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President requested a speedy confirmation process, citing the need to fill the vacancies before the elections scheduled for January next year.

For the national commissioner positions, Tinubu nominated Professor Mustapha Aliu to represent the North-West, replacing Professor Abdullahi Zuru, while Bashir Muhammed Umar was 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, as the 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, Tinubu nominated Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye, a retired permanent secretary, to serve in Ekiti State.

He also nominated Zahradden Basiru Sanusi from Jigawa State to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura as resident electoral commissioner.

The nominees will undergo Senate screening and confirmation in line with the established appointment process before assuming their respective positions.

In a related development, Tinubu reappointed Dr Bala Bila as the national commissioner representing the North-East.

The appointments form part of efforts to maintain INEC’s operational capacity as it prepares for the next general elections, which will require extensive logistical planning, personnel deployment and coordination across the country.

The Senate’s consideration of the nominees will determine when the vacancies can be formally filled.