The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), several civil society organisations, and the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw the nomination of one of his media aides, Lauretta Onochie.
Buhari in a letter on Tuesday read by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, requested for the confirmation of Onochie, who is currently his Special Assistant on social media, and three others as INEC national commissioners.
Senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in a statement soon afterwards criticized the President for the nomination. They said with her nomination, Buhari “has willfully gone against the constitution that he swore to uphold.”
The statement in part reads, “Item F, paragraph 14 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) forbids a card-carrying member of a political party to be a member of INEC.
“The Minority Caucus of the Senate is against this nomination and calls on Mr President to withdraw it.”
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a press conference, in Abuja, said: “This nomination of his staff, Lauretta Onochie, as INEC national commissioner, supports the position of the PDP that his statements were mere glib talks on electoral sanctity and demonstrates that he has no plans whatsoever to leave a legacy of credible polls.”
In the same vein, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and over 16 civil society groups reject Onochie’s nomination describing it as an insult on the collective sensibilities of Nigerians.
Afenifere said Onochie’s nomination “would mark the final conquest of the country and the beginning of the end of INEC.”
The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said: “It is the peak of insensitivity and provocation by Buhari to bring a partisan fundamentalist as a (National) Commissioner of INEC. If Nigerians don’t resist and reject it, it will mark the final conquest of the country and the beginning of the end of INEC and electoral democracy. Appointing her can only happen in a failed country.”
Similarly, the NCSSR, a coalition of over 70 civil society groups, called on the President to immediately withdraw Onochie’s nomination.
