President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially sought Senate confirmation for his nominees to serve as Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during plenary, President Tinubu stated that the request aligns with Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The nominees include Tukur AbdulRazak Yusuf (North West) and Professor Sunday Mwabam Aja (South East) as National Electoral Commissioners, and Saseyi Ibiyemi as Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ondo State.
The President emphasized the importance of a swift confirmation process, expressing confidence in the Senate’s cooperation to ensure the nominees assume their roles promptly. He described the appointments as integral to the continued strengthening of Nigeria’s electoral system.
In the letter, President Tinubu wrote, “In compliance with the provision of Section 154(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), I am pleased to forward for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of the following three nominees as commissioners in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC): Tukur Yusuf, National Electoral Commissioner representing North-West; Prof. Sunday Aja, National Electoral Commissioner representing South-East; and Mr. Saseyi Ibiyemi as Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ondo.”
Following the reading of the letter, Senate President Akpabio referred the request to the Senate Committee on INEC for review and a detailed report.
In a related development, President Tinubu also submitted the names of nominees for the chairman and board members of the North West Development Commission. However, Deputy Senate President Senator Jibrin Barau raised a motion to defer consideration of this request, pending further deliberations.
The Senate is expected to expedite the confirmation processes as it resumes full legislative activities after a three-week recess.