CSO Writes Senate To Reject Lauretta Onochie’s Nomination As INEC Commissioner

A Civil Society Organization, Concerned Nigerians Group, CNG, Wednesday, wrote Senate to reject President Muhammadu Buhari’s nomination of his Personal Assistant on Social, Lauretta Onochie, as Independent National Electoral Commissioner from Delta State.

This was contained in a letter written to the President o the Senate, and signed by the Convener, CNG, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, asking the Senate to reject Onochie’s nomination in the interest of Nigerians and democracy.

The letter described the nomination as a reprehensible attempt to destroy the integrity and independence of Nigeria’s electoral commission.

According to the letter with subject, ‘Nomination of Lauretta Onochie as INEC Commissioner: Reject Her Nomination in the Interest of Nigeria’ asserted that she is an openly partisan, card carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and constantly had attacked and denigrated critics of her party.

The letter reads in part, “We find President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of his Personal Assistant on Social, Lauretta Onochie, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Commissioner from Delta State to be a reprehensible attempt to destroy the integrity and independence of Nigeria’s electoral commission.

“Lauretta Onochie is an openly partisan, card carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s ruling party, who constantly attacks and denigrates critics of the ruling party.

“Her appointment is in violation of Paragraph 14 of Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the Constitution as amended by Section 30, Act No 1 of 2010, a member of the Independent National Electoral Commission “shall be non-partisan”.

“This constitutional provision prohibits a card-carrying member of a registered political party or a well-known supporter of a particular political party from being appointed as a member of the Independent National Electoral Commission.”