Opposition against the nomination of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Personal Assistant on Social Media, Mrs Lauretta Onochie for the position of National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission swelled on Wednesday as the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party stormed the National Assembly to kick against the clearance of the nominee.
Tribune Online checks revealed that the list containing the name of Lauretta Onochie and five others for confirmation as INEC Commissioners had since been sent to the Senate Committee on INEC led by Senator Kabiru Gaya for clearance by President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.
President Buhari had in a letter dated October 12, 2020, and read during plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan sought the Red Chamber confirmation of the appointment of the nominees.
Other nominees whose names were sent for screening and confirmation as INEC National Commissioners to represent their respective states and zones were Professor Muhammad Sani Kallah, (Katsina); Professor Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti); Saidu Babura Ahmad,( Jigawa); Professor Sani Muhammad Adam( North Central) and Dr Baba Bila, (North East).
Addressing newsmen at the main gate of the National Assembly complex, Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus said he led members of the PDP National Working Committee to formally present a petition against the clearance of Lauretta Onochie by the Senate.
Secondus who was received by Ndudi Elumelu and Enyinnaya Abaribe, House of Representatives and Senate Minority Leaders, respectively maintained that Onochie, being an aide of President Buhari and card-carrying member of the ruling party should not be allowed into a sensitive position in the country electoral umpire.
He said: “We are here to make a final point, to make final rejection of Onochie. We don’t need her in INEC, she is going to pollute the system. It is very clear that she will cause problems for INEC; what we need from Mr President is to conduct a free and fair election, she will pollute the atmosphere of INEC, she is a card-carrying member of APC, she is a specialist in manipulation,
“We have presented our protest letter to be delivered to Senate President.”
A letter dated 30th June 2021 entitled, “Rejection of the Nomination of Lauretta Onochie as INEC Commissioner,” and addressed to The Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, read in part:
“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has learnt of the nomination of Mrs Lauretta Onochie as a Commissioner in INEC by Mr President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The nomination which was read on the floor of the Senate and forwarded to your committee for screening has created a lot of misgivings in the court of public opinion and judgement.”
“Our Party considers it as important to bring to the attention of your committee the fact that our duty is to let you know that the National Assembly must endeavour to do things right and in accordance with the dictates of the laws of the country.
“The Nigeria Constitution 1999 as amended clearly prohibits people like Mrs. Onochie, who is very partisan, in fact, a card-carrying member of a political party to be appointed into INEC as an electoral umpire. Section 156(i)(a) and third schedule, Part 1, Item F, Paragraph 14(1) of the Constitution have outrightly disqualified her.
“We are, therefore, writing to ask the Chairman to save the Senate President, the Senate itself and Mr President from being ridiculed.
“We call on your committee to reject the nomination of Mrs Onochie because she cannot be neutral or independent as she is factually known to be an unrepentant card-carrying member of the APC with an uncountable number of proofs.
“Her confirmation will be a wholesome abuse of democratic tenets and dragging the reputation of the President and the Senate in the political mud.
“Please, don’t make an avoidable legislative and political mistake for the country.
“Kindly, accept the assurances of our highest consideration and esteem regard.”
It was signed by the PDP National Secretary, Senator Umaru Ibrahim Tsauri.
An investigation by Tribune Online revealed that the constitution specifically declares that appointees to the electoral body must be non-partisan and also not a card-carrying member of any political party.
Section 14 (2a) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended states that “a member of the commission shall be non-partisan and a person of unquestionable integrity.”
Further checks revealed that Ms Onochie had campaigned for the president’s second term (#NextLevel Agenda) in 2018 and 2019.
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