Nigerian Senate, Tuesday, rejected the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Onochie’s disqualification was contained in a report presented to the Red Chamber during plenary.
Chairman of the Committee, Kabiru Gaya, who presented the report on behalf of the committee, said Onochie did not satisfy the provisions of the Federal Character Principles.
According to Senator Jabiru Gaya the nominee Lauretta Onochie was a member of a political party contrary to the provision of the 1999 constitution that bars INEC members from partisanship.
Another reason was that confirming her appointment would breach the Federal Character principles enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.
They said her state of origin Delta state already has a National Commissioner representing the South South zone, in the person of May Agbamuche Mbu.
Newsplatform gathered that high level politics ahead of 2023 election and Kano mafia was the real reason for disqualifying Lauretta Onochie.
Current commissioner of INEC that Onochie was to replace, since her tenure had expired Mary Agbamuche though from Delta was born and brought up in Kano. The chairman of Senate INEC committee Kabiru Gaya is from Kano.
Former INEC chairman Prof Attahiru Jega who influenced Mary Agbamuche’s appointment worked in Kano for many years, was even former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, where Agbamuche graduated from.
It would be recalled that Prof Jega had earlier warned the Senate against confirming Onochie’s nomination.
The Senate at the committee of the whole subsequently voted against her nomination.