By BASHIR ADEFAKA
Hours after the Nigeria’s All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled Senate rejected the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as National Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Tuesday, emerging facts showed that the APC majority influenced by PDP minority legislative vote rejecting her was done in error.
Although claim of partisanship did not succeed against her as she was only ‘dropped’ because of concern bothering on breach of Federal Character, Onochie’s defence during the screening before the Senate Committee on INEC last Thursday finally got a backup as her Delta State has been further confirmed as never having – for once – represented the South South since return of democracy in 1999.
The latest revelation, which had earlier been made by The DEFENDER ahead of Tuesday’s Senate plenary, means that the unanimous rejection of Lauretta on excuse of Federal Character breach was a collective error.
It will be recalled that the Senate rejected the nomination of Lauretta Onochie on the acclaimed ground that one Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu from her state of Delta is currently representing the South South, whereas, it emerged that the geopolitical zone has never been represented by Delta and Bayelsa states as Agbamuche-Mbu is only representing Cross River.
On its Politics Today programme Tuesday night, Channels Television particularly read out names of those people and states of South South that have represented the region as INEC Commissioners including that of Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, who, it said, is currently representing Cross River State by virtue of marriage and not Delta her place by birth.
With this update, end of the drama playing out at the Senate over appointment of Lauretta Onochie, the body language expert serving the country as Digital and Social Media Aide to President Muhammdu Buhari as National Commissioner of INEC, is yet to come.
This is as many now demand justice for the brilliant United Kingdom-based woman, who, like Kemi Adeosun, was invited in 2014 to come home and work for President Buhari in his quest to help kill corruption before corruption kills Nigeria and the reposition the nation for greatness.
