The rejection of Ms Onochie’s controversial appointment was sequel to the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on INEC.
The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigerian has rejected Ms Lauretta Onochie’s nomination as a national commissioner for the electoral umpire the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).
Her nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari among other five nominees to fill vacancies at the nation election umpire has attracted wide public criticism following her political leaning.
But Senate Committee which announced the rejection of her nomination said they rejected Onochie because there was no vacancy for Delta State which she claimed to represent.
The rejection of Ms Onochie’s controversial appointment was sequel to the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on INEC which had the responsibility of screening Ms Onochie and the other nominees.
The committee chairman, Senator Kabiru Gaya who presented the report, recommended that Ms Onochie’s appointment be rejected.
Senator Gaya said Onochie was disqualified based on federal character principles. He also added that there is currently a serving commissioner from Delta State, where she hails from.
Ms Onochie, currently the Personal Assistant to the President on New Media, was appointed by President Buhari in October 2020 as an INEC commissioner to represent Delta State – an appointment which had triggered outrage among Nigerians as many described it as unconstitutional.
Many called on the president to withdraw the nomination on grounds that Ms Onochie is partisan and so it would be undemocratic for her to be appointed into such an office.
Some civil society organisations also wrote petitions to the Senate opposing Ms Onochie’s appointment. The main opposition party, PDP, had also protested against her nomination. She was screened by the committee las week Thursday.
At the screening exercise, Ms Onochie described herself as ‘madam due process’. She told the Senate panel that she quit politics in 2019 and that she is no longer partisan- a claim which turned out to be false .
“I have seen the petitions against me but I stand for justice and fairness. Thus nobody has anything to fear. I am madam due process and this is the reason behind my attacks, because I follow the law and due process.
“Since Buhari was elected as president for the second term, I have removed myself