President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reappointed Dr Bala Bila as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and nominated six other officials to fill vacancies in the electoral body ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The nominations cover four National Commissioner positions and two Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) positions. All six nominees are expected to undergo screening and confirmation by the Senate before assuming their respective offices.

The Presidency announced the appointments in a statement issued on Friday, October 16, 2026, by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

According to the statement, the nominations became necessary following the expiration of the tenures of serving officials, leaving vacancies within the electoral commission.

Among the nominees is Professor Mustapha Aliu, who has been nominated to replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as the National Commissioner representing the North-West.

Bashir Muhammed Umar was nominated to replace Professor Muhammad Adamu as the National Commissioner representing the North-Central zone.

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Tinubu 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 succeed Professor Cornelius Ajayi, whose tenure expires on October 24, 2026.

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

Zahradden Basiru Sanusi, from Jigawa State, was nominated to replace Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura as a Resident Electoral Commissioner.

Meanwhile, Tinubu reappointed Bala Bila to continue serving as the National Commissioner representing the North-East.

The President urged the Senate to expedite the screening and confirmation process to enable INEC to fill the vacancies ahead of the forthcoming general elections, which the Presidency says are scheduled for January 2027.

The appointments come as INEC prepares for the next general elections, with the commission responsible for managing electoral activities, including voter registration, political party compliance, candidate nominations and the conduct of national elections.

The Senate’s consideration of the nominees will determine when the newly nominated officials can formally assume their respective positions.

With the 2027 elections approaching, the appointments are part of efforts to fill vacant positions within the electoral body and ensure that its leadership structure is in place ahead of the polls.

The nominations do not take effect as confirmed appointments until the required Senate screening and confirmation process has been completed.

The Federal Government has said the proposed National Policing Bill, which will provide the operational framework for establishing state police in Nigeria, is about 90 per cent ready and is expected to be transmitted to the National Assembly within two weeks.

Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday, October 15, 2026, after a meeting of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill at the State House in Abuja.

Gbajabiamila, who chairs the working group, said the committee was close to completing its assignment but needed to address a few outstanding issues, including observations submitted by state governors, before forwarding the proposed legislation to lawmakers.

“The National Policing Bill is more or less ready for transmission to the National Assembly. We will probably have one more meeting after this to cross the t’s and dot the i’s and make sure every area is covered. So, we are 90% ready,” he said.

He added that the committee expected to conclude the remaining work within approximately a week, although the Presidency said the bill would be transmitted within two weeks.

“The governors have one or two observations, and we should be ready in about a week or so,” Gbajabiamila stated.

The Chief of Staff described the proposed legislation as “the most consequential Bill of the administration so far”, noting that the working group had undertaken extensive deliberations since its steering committee began meeting on August 3.

The meeting brought together key government officials and security stakeholders, including Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu.

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Representatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Nigerian Bar Association and the Office of the National Security Adviser also participated in the deliberations.

The proposed law is intended to establish the legal and operational framework needed to implement state police, allowing state governments to establish their own police services alongside the existing federal police structure.

The move is part of the Tinubu administration’s efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture amid persistent challenges, including kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, communal violence and other violent crimes.

Supporters of decentralised policing argue that state police could improve local intelligence gathering, shorten emergency response times and enable officers to respond more effectively to security threats within their communities.

However, the proposal has also raised concerns about possible political interference, funding disparities between states, human rights safeguards and the risk that governors could misuse state police against political opponents.

The National Policing Bill is distinct from the constitutional amendment required to permit states to establish their own police forces. The proposed legislation is intended to provide the practical rules, standards and safeguards for operating the system, while the constitutional amendment must complete the required approval process.

Both chambers of the National Assembly have approved the constitutional amendment proposal, but it still requires ratification by at least 24 of Nigeria’s 36 State Houses of Assembly before the constitutional change can take effect.

Gbajabiamila acknowledged concerns about the pace of ratification by state legislatures, with reports indicating that only a limited number of states had approved the amendment at the time of the meeting.

He nevertheless expressed confidence that the process would continue, insisting that there was broad national support for the reform.

“I see no reason why anyone will want to have a rethink on it,” he said.

The committee is expected to use its remaining deliberations to address the governors’ observations and ensure that the proposed legislation provides a workable structure for cooperation between federal and state police services.

The framework is also expected to clarify operational standards, accountability requirements and the relationship between the different levels of policing once the constitutional process is completed.

The planned transmission of the bill marks another step in a reform effort that has featured prominently in Nigeria’s security debate. However, the announcement does not mean that state police can begin operating immediately. The necessary constitutional approvals and legislative processes must still be completed before the proposed system can be implemented.

If the timeline announced by the Presidency is met, lawmakers could begin considering the National Policing Bill in the coming weeks, bringing Nigeria closer to a decentralised policing structure intended to address the country’s diverse security challenges.