Lauretta Onochie, who was nominated as one of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC Commissioners by President Muhammadu Buhari, has been accused of lying under oath.
Onochie appeared before the Senator Kabir Gaya-led Committee on INEC on Thursday for screening.
The politician, who is also Buhari’s aide on Social Media, and has a plethora of petitions against her nomination, told the panel that she had experience from her former place of work in the United Kingdom where she learnt to be liberal and non-partisan.
The panel raised concerns and wondered how she would dust herself of being partisan given that she is actively involved in partisan politics.
However, Onochie told the panel that she was invited from the UK in 2014 to join the APC and work for Buhari, adding that since the second election in 2019, she had resigned membership of the ruling party and had also quit active politics.
And reacting to her comment, a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), as well as an election observer group accused the presidential.aide who of lying under oath
Chairman, Steering Committee of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), Dr Chima Amadi who.addressed journalists in Abuja on Friday said that Lauretta lied on oath by denying her political party.
Amadi called on President Buhari to.order the arrest of Onochie, saying such action should not be without consequences.
He also asked the President to, without further delay, withdraw Onochie’s nomination, adding that the electoral umpire is too critical to be subjected to such partisan nomination.
Amadi said the footprints of Lauretta’s partisanship are all over the digital space and her nomination brings credibility issue to the Commission.
According to him, “Her partisan footprints are all over the digital space which even makes it curious that she was in the first place considered for nomination.”
Also, the national coordinator of Youths for Good Governance (YGG), Salisu Ahmed told DAILY POST that Onochie also lied when she claimed that the present National Commissioner from the South South, Barrister May Agbamuche-Mbu, was nominated to represent Cross River State and not Delta State.
He pointed out that facts at the National Assembly and INEC has it that Agbamuche-Mbu was nominated by Buhari in 2016 for confirmation as INEC Commissioner from Delta State.
According to him, Agbamuche-Mbu CV submitted to the red chambers by the President clearly shows that she is from Oshimili North area of Delta State.
Ahmed further explained that Agbamuche-Mbu still maintains Delta as her State of Origin despite being dborn in Kano and married in Cross River State,and was indeed nominated, screened, confirmed and sworn-in to represent Delta State in INEC.
“The unanimous report of the Abubakar Kyari-led Committee on INEC which screened the nominees in October 2016 was signed by Kyari and nine Senators.
“They are Sola Adeyeye (Vice Chairman), James Manager, Gilbert Nnaji, Hope Uzodinma, Abdullahi Gumel, Ali Wakili, Shehu Sani, Ovie Omo-Agege and Mao Ohuabunwa.
According to him, two serving lawmakers from Delta State in the persons of Ovie Omo-Agege and James Manager endorsed Agbamuche-Mbu’s nomination as their daughter and nominee for Delta State in 2016.
He warned that the Kabiru-Gaya Committee ahould not be deceived into confirming the nomination of two Commissioners to represent one State out of the six States from the South South.
Lauretta Onochie, who was appointed as one of the media aides of the President in 2015 and was reappointed after the Buhari returned for second term in 2019, us known for attacking members of the opposition on social media.
