INEC COMMISSIONER: Buhari set to represent Lauretta Onochie, as Senator says partisanship not cause of rejection

*Onochie not rejected because of political affiliation, says INEC committee chair

*Ruling party desperate to hang on to power by all means, alleges opposition PDP

*Opposition’s argument untenable – ex-APC Scribe

The Senate’s rejection of the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) notwithstanding, President Muhammadu Buhari, convinced that the nomination is viable and valid, will represent her name to the Senate for confirmation, the Presidency on Tuesday reportedly disclosed as it reaffirmed its confidence in her.

A Presidency source, according to a report by The PUNCH, said: “The fact that President Muhammadu Buhari — who made the nomination — had not chosen to withdraw it shows that he still has faith in the process and Onochie’s candidature is viable. So far, he hasn’t withdrawn his confidence in Onochie.”

Onochie’s nomination was met with stiff opposition coming from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which said she is a card carrying member of All Progressives Congress (APC), breach of Federal Character principle and, surprisingly, members of the ruling party led by the nominating President.

The Chairman of the Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission, Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano South), had disclosed that the petitions against the Presidential aide were against the backdrop of her involvement in politics and alleged membership of a political party.

Gaya said, “In the case of Ms. Lauretta Onochie, we 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.”

Gaya, however, said her rejection was not on the ground of partisanship but breach of Federal Character principle.

Tuesday night, The DEFENDER had reported that the Senate voted in error as Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, for whose reason Lauretta was rejected, as she was thought to be representing Delta State as INEC National Commissioner, has finally been confirmed to represent Cross River State and not Delta, where Lauretta Onochie comes from.

Effort by The DEFENDER to get direct comment of Presidency over this update proved abortive as our text message to the Media Office of the President was yet to be replied to.

The Peoples Democratic Party, which jubilated over the Lauretta’s rejection by Senate, had earlier in The DEFENDER’s report been asked to rejoice less as the table may still turn against them.

The PDP, which for its 16 years of rule, had appointed PDP card carrying members as INEC National Commissioners and State Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), had welcomed the decision of the Senate to reject the presidential nomination of Onochie on Tuesday.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbodinyan, reportedly said, “It was a victory for Nigerians, it was a victory for reason and morality in the interest of democracy.

“The fact remains that the All Progressives Congress is desperate to hang on to power by all means. Allowing people like Onochie to get into INEC would have compromised any election even before the first ballot is cast.”

In response, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, dismissed the PDP’s claim. He told one of our correspondents in a telephone interview that the opposition party was sulking that it was losing members “by the minute.”

Nabena said, “The argument that her political affiliation is enough reason to reject her is not even an argument. As we speak, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State, Johnson Alalibo, was a member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, he is a card-carrying member of the PDP appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan; so what is the PDP talking about.”

‘Why we rejected Onochie’

Gaya also explained that the presidential aide was not rejected based on political affiliation.

Gaya said this while addressing journalists after Tuesday’s plenary.

He said, “We couldn’t approve the appointment of Onochie because she is from the same state as an INEC commissioner from Delta State, Mrs Agbamuche-Mbu, whose tenure may expire by December this year.

“Agbamuche-Mbu is still serving in INEC till December this year. That’s why we cannot clear another candidate from the state.”

Gaya said the committee considered various legal implications of the confirmation or otherwise of the nominees and also studied the mood of Nigerians before coming up with its report.

The Senator said his panel did not rely on the submissions of Onochie when she told the committee that Agbamuche-Mbu was actually representing Cross River State on the board of INEC.

“President Buhari actually specified her (Agbamuche-Mbu) state, which is Delta, in the letter.

“Also, during her confirmation by the 8th Senate, I was there when two senators from Delta, Messrs Ovie Omo-Agege and James Manager, stood up to congratulate the Senate for confirming her.

“We also got records from the past senate screening that Agbamuche-Mbu was a nominee from Delta State.”

On her membership of the APC, Gaya said the committee could not disqualify Onochie based on the records before it.

He said, “Madam Onochie has said she has ceased to be a member of the APC.

“The law said we can only disqualify a card-carrying member of a political party and since she denied her APC membership, we cannot hold that against her.”

Gaya had said in his report at plenary said the Committee received several petitions against the nominations of Onochie and Adam.

The Senate had earlier confirmed the appointment of five nominees as National Commissioners of INEC.

The upper chamber also stepped down the confirmation of Prof. Sani Adam (North Central) for further investigation by the committee.

The confirmation of the nominees followed the consideration of a report by the Gaya-led Senate Committee on INEC.

Those confirmed include Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru (North-West), Prof. Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina), Prof. Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti), Dr. Baba Bila (North-East), and Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa).