President Bola Tinubu has reappointed Dr Bala Bila as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, while nominating six other persons to fill vacant positions in the electoral body.

The nominations comprise four National Commissioners and two Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, following the expiration of the tenures of some serving officials.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, Professor Mustapha Aliu has been nominated to replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as the National Commissioner representing the North-West, while Bashir Muhammed Umar is to replace Professor Muhammad Adamu as the North-Central representative.

Tinubu also nominated Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, the incumbent Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, as the National Commissioner representing the South-West.

Babalola is expected to succeed Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure expires on October 24.

For the Resident Electoral Commissioner positions, the President nominated retired permanent secretary, Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye, to represent Ekiti State.

Similarly, Zahradden Basiru Sanusi, from Jigawa State, was nominated to fill the vacancy left by Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura.

The Presidency said the nominations were necessitated by vacancies arising from the expiration of the tenures of serving officials.

It added that the nominees would undergo screening by the Senate before their eventual confirmation.

Tinubu urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process, citing the need to fill the vacancies ahead of the forthcoming general elections scheduled for January next year.

The nominations will take effect subject to the Senate’s screening and confirmation.

The appointments come as INEC prepares for the next general elections, with the composition of its leadership expected to remain central to preparations for the nationwide exercise.