By Musa Baba Adamu
Senate yesterday finally succumbed to public pressure, as it dropped the nomination of Lauretta Onochie, as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had sent the name of Onochie, who serves as his Special Assistant on Social Media, as well as a former member of All Progressive Congress (APC), to the Senate for confirmation as a National Commissioner of INEC.
This political linkage between the ruling APC and the nominee irked the political public, who mounted sustained protest and pressure on the Senate to drop her nomination, for being pertisan and for violation of Federal Character Principle as provided in the 1999 Constitution.
However, during the screening of the nominee by the Senate, she denied being a member of the APC. She claimed that she stopped being a party member after President Buhari won the 2019 Presidential election, a claim she provided an affidavit to support.
Bud after the presentation and consideration of report of Senate Committee on INEC yesterday at plenary by the chairman, Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano South), Senate confirmed the appointment of five other nominees as Commissioners in the Commission, but dropped Onochie.
The Senate also suspended another nominee, Prof. Sani Muhammad Adam, pending the outcome of further investigation by the Committee as agreed by the Senate during the plenary. Prof. Adam was nominated to represent North Central in the Commission.
Those confirmed include Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru (North-West), Prof. Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina), Prof. Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti), Dr. Baba Bila (North-East), and Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa).
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano South), in his presentation, said the Committee received several petitions against the nominations of Ms. Lauretta Onochie and Professor Sani Muhammad Adam.
He disclosed that the petitions against Lauretta Onochie were against the backdrop that her involvement in politics and alleged membership of a political party.
He explained further that, aside politics, her nomination violated the Federal Character Principle as there is already a serving National Electoral Commissioner from Delta State, Barr. Mary Agbamuche-Mbu, who was screened and confirmed by the 8th Senate for South South region.
“In the case of Ms. Lauretta Onochie, having studied her curriculum vitae and other relevant documents, followed by exhaustive interaction around the petitions against her nomination which she responded to accordingly, including attesting that she is not a registered member of any political party”, Gaya said.
According to the lawmaker, the Committee bound by the provisions of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amendment) on Federal Character Principle, refused to recommend Onochie for confirmation.
“Therefore, based on the provisions of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended) on Federal Character Principle as earlier stated, and in order for the Committee and the Senate to achieve fairness to other states and political zones in the country, the committee is unable to recommend Ms. Lauretta Onochie for confirmation as a National Electoral Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission”, he explained.
