Breaking: Senate Bows to Pressure, Rejects Onochie as INEC Commissioner

By Deji Elumoye and Juliet Akoje

The Senate on Tuesday bowed to public pressure and rejected the nomination of Presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie, as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner.

The upper chamber at plenary described Onochie as ineligible for the position of National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission based on the report of its committee on INEC.

Presenting the report, Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya, said Onochie’s nomination contravenes the principle of Federal Character Commission as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.l (As Amended).

Gaya recalled that Delta state which Onochie was supposed to represent had been adequately represented by May Agbamuche-Mbu, INEC’s current National Commissioner, who incidentally is from Delta state as Onochie.

Details later…