Senate rejects Onochie as INEC commissioner

The senate has rejected the nomination of Lauretta Onochie, presidential aide, as a commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The upper legislative chamber rejected her appointment after Kabiru Gaya, chairman of the INEC committee, presented a report during a plenary session.

Onochie was nominated for the job by President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2020.

Her nomination sparked off outrage over concerns that she is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but the presidential aide said she resigned her membership of the ruling party in 2019.

TheCable found Onochie’s claim to be false.

There have been demonstrations against Onochie’s nomination by civil society organisations.

While presenting the report on Tuesday, Gaya said Onochie was disqualified based on federal character principle, adding that there is a serving commissioner from Delta state where Onochie hails from.

The senator said May Agbamuche, INEC commissioner from Delta, was confirmed by the senate in 2016.

“In 2016, we confirmed a national commissioner from Delta state, Mrs May Agbamuche and confirming Onochie from the same Delta  will violate the federal character,” he said.

Gaya said further legislative work will be put into the nomination of Sani Adam, so confirmation should be “stepped down”.

The upper legislative chamber went ahead to confirm Muhammad Kallah, Kunle Ajayi, Saidu Ahmed, Baba Bila and Abdullahi Zuru as INEC commissioners.