Eight months after President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded the name of Lauretta Onochie, his Special Assistant on Social Media to the Senate for confirmation as a commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the upper chamber is set to commence her screening for the job.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan on Wednesday referred the name of Onochie, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member to the committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for screening as a commissioner of the electoral body.
Onochie who hailed from Delta State was nominated alongside Professor Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina) and Professor Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti) as national commissioners of the INEC. He also nominated Saidu Babura Ahmad as a resident electoral commissioner (Jigawa).
However, her nomination on October 12, had drawn intense criticisms from a cross section of Nigerians and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which feared that as a key presidential aide, her nomination would put the sanctity of the country’s electoral process to question.
The development also divided senators along party lines with opposition lawmakers vehemently opposing her nomination quoting a section of the constitution which prohibits a card-carrying member of a political party to be a member of the electoral body.
Some senators expressed surprise when the matter came up at the upper chamber again on Wednesday.
The motion to refer the names of the nominees to the panel was moved by the Senate Leader, Abdullahi Yahaya.
Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe seconded after he kicked against her nomination and wondered why another nominee had not been sent to the Senate to replace her.
“In seconding this motion, we have dealt with the matter of the nomination of Lauretta Onochie. So we feel surprised the same name has resurfaced no longer as a national commissioner but as Delta State commissioner.
“Reluctantly, I second the motion that these nominations be referred to the appropriate committee for action. We shall meet in the Philippines,” he said.
