BREAKING: Senate Rejects Lauretta Onochie’s Nomination As INEC Commissioner

The leadership of the senate has kicked against the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as National Electoral Commissioner for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), representing the south-south citing her as a card-carrying party member.

Oriental Times reports that Lauretta Onochie is the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on social media.

Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe in a short statement sent to our reporter, said by nominating his aide, President Buhari has “willfully gone against the constitution”.

He urged the President to withdraw the nomination.

Abaribe said, “President Buhari by nominating Lauretta Onochie has willfully gone against the constitution that he swore to uphold.

“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 calls on Mr President to withdraw it.”

Buhari had written the Senate seeking the confirmation of Onochie and three others for INEC job.

Other nominees are: Prof. Muhammad Sani Kallah (National Electoral Commissioner), Katsina; Prof. Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (National Electoral Commissioner), Ekiti; and Saidu Babura Ahmad (Resident Electoral Commissioner), Jigawa.

Buhari’s letter, dated 12th October, 2020, was read at the plenary on Tuesday.

Recall that the nomination of Mrs Lauretta Onochie for the said position, triggered a lot of reactions from several Nigerians who insisted that she is not qualified to become an election umpire.