Senate Ignores Protests, Screens Onochie, Others For INEC Job

The Senate, yesterday, started the screening of nominees for appointment as National Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The nominees, including one of the aides of President MuhammaduBuhari, Lauretta Onochie, appeared in the Senate, yesterday, for the exercise.
Onochie arrived at the Senate wing of the National Assembly about 11am; accompanied by the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, BabajideOmoworare.
She was immediately ushered into the office of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Kabri Gaya.
The nomination of Onochie, who currently serves as Senior Special Assistant on New Media to President Buhari, has provoked serious public outcry with the Peoples’ Democratic Party, kicking against her nomination.
The PDP said Onochie is a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC); and by virtue of her political affiliation with the APC, she is not fit and proper to be appointed as an election officer.
The party argued that Onochie would pollute the atmosphere of neutrality, and fair play in the commission if the Senate goes ahead to approve her nomination.
Other nominees include Prof Muhammad SaniKallah(Katsina); Prof Kunle Cornelius Ajayi(Ekiti), and Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa).
They also included Prof Sani Muhammad Adam(North-Central); Dr. Baba Bila (North East).
Speaking after her screening, the Senior Special Assistant to President on Social Media, OnochieLauretta said she was not a member of All Progressives Congress (APC) as being reported in the media.
Onochie said that she withdrew her membership of the party in 2019, immediately after President MuhammaduBuhari won his second term in office.
She challenged anybody to come out to show evidence of participating in APC activities since 2019.