The leadership of the People’s Democratic Party on Wednesday stormed the National Assembly to protest against the nomination of the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, for appointment as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, representing Delta State.
Prince Uche Secondus, the National Chairman of the PDP led the protest.
PDP has also vowed that four of its lawmakers that recently decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress will be made to lose their seats in the Senate.
In a petition addressed to the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, and titled: “Rejection of the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as INEC Commissioner,” Secondus said the Senate should save itself in particular and Nigeria in general from ridicule by rejecting Onochie.
The letter, titled “Rejection of the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as INEC Commissioner,” and signed by Senator Umaru Ibrahim Tsauri, the National Secretary of PDP: reads:
“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has learnt of the nomination of Mrs. Lauretta Onochie as a Commissioner in INEC by Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The nomination which was read on the floor of the Senate and forwarded to your committee for screening has created a lot of misgivings in the court of public opinion and judgement.
“Our Party considers it as important to bring to the attention of your committee the fact that our duty is to let you know that the National Assembly must endeavour to do things right and in accordance with the dictates of the laws of the country.
“The Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) clearly prohibits people like Mrs. Onochie, who is very partisan, in fact, a card-carrying member of a political party to be appointed into INEC as an electoral umpire.
“Section 156(i)(a) and third schedule, Part 1, Item F, Paragraph 14(1) of the Constitution have out rightly disqualified her.
“We are, therefore, writing to ask the Chairman to save the Senate President, the Senate itself and Mr. President from being ridiculed.
“We call on your committee to reject the nomination of Mrs. Onochie because she cannot be neutral or independent as she is factually known to be an unrepentant card-carrying member of the APC with an uncountable number of proofs.
“Her confirmation will be a wholesome abuse of democratic tenets and dragging the reputation of the President and the Senate in the political mud.
“Please, don’t make an avoidable legislative and political mistake for the country.”
“Kindly, accept the assurances of our highest consideration and esteem regard.”
Kola Ologbondiyan, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP told journalists on the sidelines of the protest that the lawmakers who recently dumped the party and pitched their tent with the APC will be made to vacate their seats later.
Senators are Sahabi Alhaji Yau (Zamfara North), Hassan Mohammed Gusau (Zamfara Central), Lawali Hassan Anka (Zamfara West), and Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta North), who defected to the APC on Wednesday.