The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, on Wednesday, led the protest against the nomination of the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to the National Assembly.
Secondus in a petition addressed to the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, and titled: “Rejection of the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as INEC Commissioner” urged the Senate not to confirm the presidential aide.
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, 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.
Months after her nomination, the motion to revisit her nomination was raised, drawing another round of protests.
PDP in a letter signed by its National Secretary, Senator Umaru Ibrahim Tsauri, reads: “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 Nigerian 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 rightly disqualified her.
“We are, therefore, writing to ask the Chairman to save the Senate President, the Senate itself and Mr. President from being ridiculed.”
