President Bola Tinubu has formally requested the Senate to confirm his appointments of Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The request was made in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, which he presented during plenary after the Senate resumed from a three-week recess.
In his letter, President Tinubu emphasised that the request is in accordance with Section 154, subsection 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
The nominees for the National Commissioners include Mr Tukur AbdulRazak Yusuf, representing the North West; Professor Sunday Mwabam Aja, representing the South East; and Mr Saseyi Ibiyemi, who is nominated as the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ondo State.
The President expressed confidence that the Senate would expedite the confirmation process for the nominees. The letter stated, “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.”
The Senate President referred the letter to the Committee on INEC for further deliberation and a prompt report.
Additionally, President Tinubu submitted a request for confirmation from the chairman and members of the governing board of the North West Development Commission. However, this request was temporarily set aside due to a motion from Deputy Senate President Senator Jibrin Barau, pending further announcements.