Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has nominated Oluwatoyin Babalola as a new National Commissioner for the country’s election body and reappointed Bala Bila to a second term, ahead of crucial general elections next year.

Mrs. Babalola, currently serving as the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, has been nominated to represent southwestern Nigeria on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). She will replace Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose term ends on 24 October.

Mr. Bila was reappointed as a National Commissioner, alongside five other nominees named to fill vacancies created by expiring tenures across the commission’s national and state-level leadership.

The appointments were announced on Friday in a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga.

Preparing for the 2027 polls

The nominations come as West Africa’s largest democracy prepares for national and state elections scheduled for early 2027.

In total, President Tinubu submitted six new nominations—four National Commissioners and two state-level Resident Electoral Commissioners—to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

The other nominees for National Commissioner include

• Professor Mustapha Aliu (North-West region), replacing Professor Abdullahi Zuru
• Bashir Umar (North-Central region), replacing Professor Muhammad Adamu

For state-level commissioner roles, the president nominated Samuel Akinjide Akinleye, a retired permanent secretary, to represent Ekiti State, and Zahradden Sanusi to represent Jigawa State.

President Tinubu has urged lawmakers in the upper legislative chamber to expedite the confirmation process to ensure the electoral commission is fully staffed ahead of the upcoming election cycle. All appointments remain subject to Senate approval.