Situation Room Rejects ‘Partisan Supporter Of Buhari’ Lauretta Onochie As INEC Commissioner

President Muhammadu Buhari’s nomination of his personal assistant, Lauretta Onochie, as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been rejected by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room.

The coalition of over 70 civil society organizations also accused President Buhari over violating a provision of the amended 1999 Constitution of Nigeria by appointing “a partisan politician” as a member of INEC.

THE WHISTLER earlier reported Buhari’s nomination of Onochie, a staunch defender of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, among three others as INEC commissioners.

The nominees were Mohammed Sani (Katsina), Kunle Ajayi (Ekiti), Seidu Ahmed (Jigawa), while Onochie was nominated as the representative for Delta State.

Situation Room said Onochie, being a “known partisan supporter of Buhari” cannot unbiasedly supervise a free and fair election.

The coalition, therefore, called on the president to immediately withdraw Onochie’s nomination and replace her with an impartial candidate.

Situation Room also urged the Senate to not hesitate to reject Onochie’s nomination should President Buhari fail to withdraw it.

Situation Room’s convener, Clement Nwankwo, voiced the coalition’s rejection of Onochie’s nomination in a statement on Tuesday.

He said, “The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room is concerned about the nomination of Ms. Lauretta Onochie, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Social Media as National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) representing the South-South. Ms. Onochie is a known partisan supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari and his ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Item F, paragraph 14 of the third schedule of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) forbids a partisan politician as a member of INEC – a body charged under the Constitution to unbiasedly conduct free and fair elections. Her nomination amounts to a major attempt at undermining efforts to build credibility for an improved electoral process in the country.

Situation Room also called on the Nigerian Senate to, “investigate all of the other nominations by the President especially as there are concerns that some of these nominations may have been by self-serving interests.

“It is important for Nigeria that the composition of INEC is transparently non-partisan and independent of partisan political manipulation,” it said.