By Kolawole Ojebisi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed two eligible persons as National Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).
This is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Monday.
According to the statement, Tinubu appointed Abdulrazak Yusuf Tukur as National Commissioner for INEC, representing the North West geopolitical zone.
The statement added that Tinubu also nominated a lawyer, Saseyi Feyijimi Ibiyemi, to replace a late Resident Electoral Commissioner of Ogun State.
According to Onanuga, Tukur, 59, has a Bachelor of Arts from Bayero University, a postgraduate diploma in Economics from Bradford University, England and a Master of Arts from Leeds University, also in the United Kingdom.
Tukur began working for INEC in 1999 as assistant chief administrative officer at the electoral body and rose to become the director of Electoral Operations and Logistics. Tukur’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Onanuga also said if cleared by the Senate, Ibiyemi will replace another lawyer, ‘Niyi Ijalaye, who died in August while serving as the resident electoral commissioner in Ogun State.
Ibiyemi, 58, who hails from Ilaje in Ondo State, is currently the Administrative Secretary of INEC in Lagos State. She graduated from Obafemi Awolowo University in 1987 and was called to the bar in 1988.
The nominations have elicited mixed reactions. While many believe they are timely, some are indifferent.
