BURSTED! Some civil society groups plotting showdown at Senate Tuesday over Lauretta Onochie’s expected confirmation

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From Left: Buhari, President who nominated Lauretta Onochie, and Lawan, the man whose responsibility it is to direct her screening and confirmation.

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By KEMI KASUMU

If the report reaching us is correct, some elements within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and, “sadly” ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have concluded plans to sponsor what will appear in disguise like some civil society protest to disrupt the Senate’s confirmation of screened nominees for the position of National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), largely because of Lauretta Onochie, on Tuesday 13 July, 2021.

The Senate shunned the opposition last week and went ahead to screen the president’s nominees and its INEC Committee is expected to present its report to the plenary Tuesday with recommendation for them to be confirmed.

The DEFENDER got a source Monday, who said: “A section of the civil society is planning a showdown tomorrow (Tuesday) on the nomination of Madam Lauretta Onochie and Prof Sani Adam as National Commissioners of INEC. They have gotten foreign funding.”

In the meantime, as facts or not surrounding this alert remain shrouded in uncertainty, we have authoritatively reported that allegations being brandied by those opposing Onochie’s confirmation for the position have been neutralized now leaving the Senate to be the good chamber it is known for and do the needful by confirming the presidential nominee and her fellow candidates.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Ikechukwu Odikpo, whose name appears as number one on a purported APC Ward 4 list in Aniocha Local Government, Delta State, said as far as he could remember, the register being reported is doctored, adding that by the time the last registered as APC members, Lauretta Onochie was not in Nigeria but in London, United Kingdom.

“The register on which I am listed as number one, from my own understanding as my memory can recap, is not register of APC Ward 4, Aniocha Local Government Area of Delta State.  By the time we registered, Lauretta was not even in the country but was in London when we started APC.  So, that register that is being flown around, it is either somebody tried to copy from the original or something but definitely not the register that we did.

“Although in our ward, I was the foremost person in APC, in as much as Lauretta is sympathetic to the APC being appointee of the President and she is more appropriately called Buharist, she has never carried APC card for one day.  She had been sympathetic and supportive until after the 2019 election when she withdrew all her support for the APC and fully committed herself to her principal, President Muhammadu Buhari.

“And when we were doing revalidation, which was an opportunity for her and they said. “revalidate and register”, she would have become a registered member but she did not.  In fact, she believes that politicians are corrupt and she would jokes and says, “APC wins election not because of APC but because of Buhari,” and I would tell her, ‘Without APC, Buhari cannot win’ and we joked about it.”

These were the submission Dr. Ikechukwu Odikpo, whose name was listed as number one followed by the Lauretta’s name on the purported APC Ward 4, Aniocha Local Government, Delta State register.


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