By Chioma Iruke
The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday rejected the candidacy of Presidential Aide, Lauretta Onochie as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This was even as the Senate also stood down the approval of Professor Sani Mohammed Adam till further legislative action.
Onochie was rejected following the consideration of the report of the Committee on INEC, chaired by Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano).
The panel recommended Onochie’s disqualification as INEC National Commissioner because her nomination is in violation of Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution on the Principle of Federal Character.
The committee said there is currently a serving commissioner from Delta state, where Onochie hails from.
Recall, Onochie provoked public outcry after her nomination was announced earlier this year as many Nigerians including opposition party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who noted that Onochie is a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC); and by virtue of her political affiliation with the ruling party, she is not fit and proper to be appointed as an election officer.
