The Senate has revealed why it rejected the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as the Delta state Independent and National Electoral Commission (INEC) Commissioner.
Onochie is an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari on new media and was also nominated by the President for the INEC job.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, July 13, by the Special Assistant (Press) to President of the Senate, Ezrel Tabiowo, Onochie was rejected because of her partisanship and breach of federal character principle.
The statement titled; ‘Senate confirms five nominees as INEC Commissioners, rejects Lauretta Onochie’ quoted Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya, as saying that the committee also received several petitions against the nomination of Onochie.
He explained further that 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.
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.
“In the case of Ms. Lauretta Onochie’s, 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”.
“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,” Gaya said.
Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed five other nominees following the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on INEC while it suspended the nomination of Professor Sani Muhammad Adam for further investigation by the committee.
Those confirmed are; Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru (North-West), Professor Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina), Professor Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti), Dr. Baba Bila (North-East), and Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa).
