The Senate on Thursday began the screening of Lauretta Onochie, an aide of President Muhammadu Buhari, and other nominees for National Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Onochie is President Buhari’s Special Assistant on Social Media. She arrived for her screening in the company of the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Babajide Omoworare.
The Senate’s screening of Onochie is in defiance of a deluge of protests that has greeted her nomination from a wide spectrum of the Nigerian society, including the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party, and civil society organisaitons.
The PDP opposed her nomination on the ground that Onochie is a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, pointing out that her affiliation with the APC disqualifies her from being a commissioner of the electoral body.
PDP argued further that Onochie’s membership of the APC will make it impossible for her to be neutral and ensure fair play in elections conducted by the INEC.
Onochie’s screening comes nine days after the leadership of the PDP and its supporters protested at the National Assembly against her nomination.
Others nominated as INEC commissioners include Professor Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina); Professor, Kunle Cornelius Ajayi(Ekiti), and Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa). Others are Professor Sani Muhammad Adam(North-Central); Dr. Baba Bila (North East).
