BREAKING: Senate Screens Lauretta Onochie, Five Others As INEC Commissioners

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, asked the Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission to screen for confirmation, the appointments of Ms. Lauretta Onochie, and five others as INEC commissioners.

The development came eight months after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), sent the list of the nominees to the Senate for screening.

It was learnt that protests among the Peoples Democratic Party members in the red chamber halted the process of the screening as the opposition federal lawmakers were said to have accused Onochie, who is presently a presidential spokesperson, of unnecessarily casting aspersions on their party.

They also faulted the idea of making Onochie, a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress as an INEC Commissioner to represent Delta State on the board of the commission.

Other names on the list are, Prof. Muhammad Kallah (Katsina); Prof. Kunle Ajayi (Ekiti); Saidu Ahmad (Jigawa); Prof Sani Adam (North- Central); and Dr Baba Bila (North-East).

The Senate INEC panel, which has Senator Kabiru Gaya as Chairman, has four weeks to conclude the screening and report back to the red chamber at plenary.

Details later…