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Thelma Amata Iremiren

Mrs Iremiren was
appointed as one of the representatives of the south-south. Born in
Forcados, Delta State in 1946, she studied Sociology in the University
of Lagos before beginning an extensive federal civil service career
which started with the Ministry of Health in Lagos in December 1970, as
an Assistant Secretary 11.

She rose to the
position of permanent secretary in 2001, serving with the Ministries of
Finance, Works and Housing, Federal Civil Service Commission, National
Planning Commission and finally in the Federal Ministry of Internal
Affairs from where she retired in December 2005.

That career
deepened more at the Ministry of Finance, where she held key federal
positions stretching from representing Nigeria at major international
financial meetings, to managing Nigeria’s relations with the Paris and
London clubs.

Between 1995 and
1998, Mrs Iremiren was the Alternate Governor for Nigeria at the
African Development Bank Group. On the bilateral desk, she was
responsible for mutual financial relations between the federal
government and other nations and took part in preparing Nigeria‘s
external borrowing outline.

As a Permanent
Secretary, later at the National Planning Commission, she assisted the
Chief Economic Adviser, and was also the Secretary to the National
Economic Council. She received the national merit awards of Member of
the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2001 and Officer of the Order of the
Niger (OON) in 2005.

Mrs Iremiren is the chair of the staff establishment committee in charge of employment and posting.

Ishmael Jikiri Igbani

Mr Igbani was
appointed for a second term with INEC and became the first ever
re-appointed commissioner. Born in 1941 in Rivers State, he holds a PhD
in Agricultural Extension Education and Rural Sociology from the
University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA in 1971.

In 1979, he was
named the Minister of State for Industries and later Minister of Works
and Housing in 1983, after an early working career that spanned local
and foreign establishments. In 2003, Mr Igbani was appointed a national
Commissioner of the INEC and served out his tenure in 2008. While in
that capacity, he was a member and head of several committees and
chaired the Board of the Electoral Institute, and later the Political
Party Monitoring Committee.

He was the
Director and later Chairman of Board, Intercontinental Distillers
Limited, Ikeja, Lagos, a position held since 1997. Mr Igbani heads the
election monitoring committee charged with the selection and monitoring
of the observers.

Gladys Nne Nwafor

Mrs Nwafor is the
former Director of Abia State Universal Basic Education Board and a
former member of the governing council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University,
Awka. Until his death, she was married to Chima Ogbonna Nwafor, who was
deputy governor of Abia State under Orji Uzor Kalu between 1999 and
2007. Femi Falana accused her of being a PDP member at a rally in June
but she later denied it.

She was nominated
as a member of the Institute for Agricultural Research and Training,
Ile-Ife, by former president, Umar Yar’Adua, in June 2009.

Mrs Nwafor has a
degree in Political Science from the University of Port Harcourt, and
worked as a teacher and held several education administrative positions
in Abia State for 35 years. She was born in 1949 and was appointed as
one of the representatives from the south-east.

She will take charge of staff welfare and discipline.

Lai Olurode

Mr Olurode is the
INEC commissioner in charge of information. An academic from the
University of Lagos, he served as a professor of Sociology and the Dean
of Social Sciences Faculty. In 2003, he was a visiting professor to the
University of California, Irvine, USA.

He holds a
Doctoral Degree (D.Phil.) in Philosophy from the University of Sussex,
UK, and a Law degree from the University of Lagos. He was born in 1952
at Iwo in Osun State, and is credited with several publications. He is
one of the representatives from the south-west.

Philip Etomike Umeadi

Mr Umeadi is one
of the remaining two commissioners who served under the controversial
former chairman of the commission, Maurice Iwu. He is said to have been
third in command at the time of Mr Iwu’s exit. He is said to have
missed out on becoming the acting chairman after Iwu’s removal owing to
allegations that he was once involved in examination malpractice at
UNIBEN, and was suspended.

Before his
appointment as INEC National Commissioner, he worked as a Legal Officer
in Akure Local Government Council in Ondo State. He also worked as
Principal Solicitor & Counsel at Ezebuilo Umeadi & Co. He is
the Director of Philip Green Nigeria Limited and Mid-Runners Resources
limited.

Mr Umeadi holds a
Law degree from the University of Benin and was born 1963 in Onitsha,
Anambra State. He represents the south-east.

Mr Umeadi takes charge of legal matters.

Solomon Adedeji Soyebi

Mr Soyebi became
the most visible member of the old team that was led by Mr Iwu, and
became the commission’s acting Chairman after Mr Iwu’s removal. Under
his brief watch, the commission took a few controversial decisions,
including the release of the Certificates of Return for two House of
Representatives seats that dragged for more than three years.

Mr Iwu has been
accused of deliberately disobeying previous rulings of the courts on
the cases, allegedly on the instructions of former equally
controversial Attorney General, Michael Aondoakaa. Mr Soyebi served as
a principal in various schools for about 20 years before joining the
Commission in 2003, where he has served at various times as Resident
Electoral Commissioner in Osun, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Kano and
Lagos States. He was born on in 1955 in Ogun State, and holds a degree
in Chemistry from the University of Ibadan, obtained in 1978.

He is believed to
have a turbulent relationship with Mr Umeadi after they repeatedly
clashed over the INEC chairmanship. He is the INEC commissioner in
charge of publicity and information.

Amina Bala Zakari

Mrs Zakari is from
Jigawa State and represents the North Central. She was a Secretary in
the Federal Capital Administration between 2004 and 2007 under former
minister, Nasir El Rufai. A pharmacist and alumni of the Harvard
Business School, she has been the head of consultancy at the Songhai
Medical Centre, Abuja.

She has been handed the post of Chair of the Political Parties Monitoring Committee.

Nuru Yakubu

Mr Yakubu is the
former Executive Secretary of the Nation Board of Technical Education
(NBTE) and a former Rector of the Kaduna State Polytechnic. He
represents Yobe State. He was the National Project Coordinator of the
UNESCO-Nigeria Project for the Revitalization of Technical and
Vocational Education in Nigeria.

He was a member of
the committee on the Future of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education
in Nigeria in 1999 and under the administration of former president,
Olusegun Obasanjo, he served as board member of the National
Directorate of Employment (NDE) since 2001.

He was a member, National Implementation Committee on the Review of Higher Education in Nigeria between 1992 and 1993.

Mr Yakubu will head the operations committee and will oversee the conduct of the elections. He represents the north east.

Mohammed Kurmi Hammanga

Mr Hammanga is a retired Army Colonel and an Architect. He is from Adamawa State and represents the north-east.

Mr Hammanga takes
charge of the Logistics and Transport Committee which has the onerous
task of the acquisition of the sensitive (ballot paper and ballet
boxes) and non sensitive materials. He is also responsible for the
acquisition of all vehicles that will be used during the elections.

Abdulkadir Oniyangi

Mr Oniyangi
represents Kwara State where he was Secretary to the State Government
between 1983 and 1985. He holds a degree in Medicine and was the Chief
Medical Director and Consultant of Hassanah Memorial Hospital in Ilorin.

Born in 1935 in
Ilorin, Mr Oniyangi is by far the oldest appointed commissioner. He,
however, recently dismissed suggestions that age would be a deterrent
in carrying out his duties.

“At 75, I am very
fit,” he declared. “If there is any evidence to show that I am going
down, I will be the first to throw in the towel. As I am now, I think I
am going to stay till I’m 105.”

Mr Oniyangi heads
the BOSTEC committee in charge of the boarding and acquisition of
properties, assets, vehicles and other materials.

Ahmed Wali

Mr Wali was one of
the last nominated commissioners in the current dispensation. The
former Ambassador is from Sokoto and represents the north west.

Mr Wali is in charge of the procurement and tenders board committee.

Chris Iyimoga

Mr Iyimoga is from Nasarawa State and represents the north central region.

He heads the
estate and works committee. He will be responsible for buildings and
management for INEC as well as the erection of new structures.