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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm two nominees for positions as National Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The national commissioner nominees are Abdulrazaq Tukur, representing the North West, and Sunday Ajah, representing the South East.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s letter during Tuesday’s plenary. Alongside the two national commissioner nominees, the letter also included the nomination of Honourable Saseyi Feyijimi Ibiyemi as Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ondo State.
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President Tinubu assured that the nominations align with Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and called for prompt Senate confirmation.
“The nominations comply with constitutional provisions, and I trust the Senate will consider and confirm the nominees in its usual expeditious manner,” Tinubu stated in his letter.
The Senate President, thereafter, referred the nominations to the Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters for scrutiny, directing it to report back for further legislative action.
Concerns over federal character and regional representation
The nomination of Abdulrazaq Tukur has triggered criticisms regarding adherence to the Federal Character Principle, as it would increase the North West’s representation in INEC to three national commissioners.
Currently, the North West is represented by Prof. Abdullahi Zuru from Kebbi State and Prof. Muhammed Kallah from Katsina State. Both commissioners reportedly have over a year remaining in their first five-year renewable terms.
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have raised objections, arguing that the additional nomination violates the Federal Character Principle, which ensures balanced representation across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
Ezenwa Nwagwu, Executive Director of the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), criticised the move, describing it as a threat to public confidence in the impartiality of the electoral body.
“Adding a third national commissioner from the North West undermines public trust in a balanced and impartial electoral body,” Nwagwu stated in a petition to President Tinubu.
He said that adding a third national commissioner from the same region breaks the longstanding practice of equal representation in INEC appointments across the six geopolitical zones.
But a senior INEC official, speaking anonymously, explained that the Constitution mandates 12 national commissioners and one chairman for a full INEC complement but does not specify how they should be distributed among the geopolitical zones.
INEC Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi, also clarified the commission’s stance, noting that the selection of members lies entirely within the executive’s prerogative.
“The selection process is within the executive’s prerogative, as prescribed by extant laws. Therefore, we are not in the position to evaluate the appropriateness of the federal government’s decision on who to appoint as members of the commission,” Oyekanmi said.
Presidency’s reaction
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, defended the process, stating that INEC appointments are made based on recommendations.
“The president does not just wake up and make appointments to INEC. It is recommended, and those making the recommendations know the rationale behind them,” Onanuga said.
Meanwhile, the inclusion of Sunday Ajah from the South East appears to address previous criticisms of inadequate representation for the region within INEC.
However, the North West’s over-representation continues to spark debate over compliance with the Federal Character Principle.
The Senate Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters is expected to deliberate on the nominations and submit its report for further action.
