The Peoples Democratic Party, several civil society organisations, as well as the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere asked the President General Muhammadu Buhari, to withdraw the nomination of one of his media aides, Lauretta Onochie, as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission representing Delta State.
Buhari had in a letter read on the floor of the Senate, by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, on Tuesday, requested for the confirmation of Onochie, who is currently his Special Assistant on social media, and three others as INEC national commissioners.
The three nominees are: Prof. Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina); Prof. Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti); and Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa).
Senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in a statement soon afterwards, berated the president for nominating. They said with her nomination, Buhari “has willfully gone against the constitution that he swore to uphold.”
Part of the statement read, “Item F, paragraph 14 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) forbids a card-carrying member of a political party to be a member of INEC.
“The Minority Caucus of the Senate is against this nomination and call on Mr. President to withdraw it.”
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan in a press conference, in Abuja, said “This nomination of his personal staff, Lauretta Onchie, as INEC national commissioner, supports the position of the PDP that his statements were mere glib talks on electoral sanctity and clearly demonstrates that he has no plans whatsoever to leave a legacy of credible polls.”
Similarly, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and over 16 civil society groups outrightly rejected Onochie’s nomination describing it as an affront on the collective sensibilities of Nigerian.
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