Senators aren't approximately to back pedal in their opposition to the nomination of the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), The Nation collected last night time.
Senators from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are understood to have joined forces to stop the nomination of Onochie.
Some senators have also obtained movies of interviews granted with the aid of Onochie from some interest groups to again up their competition to her nomination.
Lobbyists are having a difficult time looking to convince the lawmakers to just accept Onochie’s nomination for the South-South slot.
In deference to the President, senators have made an casual representation to some most important officials to succeed on President Muhammadu Buhari to provide a new candidate from the South-South.
But some governors have stepped in to save Onochie who they claimed has been doing most effective media activity.
Buhari had on October thirteen nominated Onochie and 3 others as INEC commissioners – Prof. Muhammad Sani Kallah (National, from Katsina State); Prof. Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti) and Saidu Babura Ahmad (Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC (Jigawa).
The letter said: “Pursuant to Paragraph 14 of Part I (F) of the Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, I hereby forward for affirmation by way of the Senate, the appointment of the subsequent four Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
The President’s letter but generated anxiety inside the Senate with a few PDP senators main the opposition to Onochie.
According to research, the tension generated with the aid of the nomination of Onochie informed the “put off in referral or committal to an appropriate committee in the next legislative day after Buhari’s letter became study.”
It turned into learnt that some APC and PDP Senators met in Abuja on why Onochie’s nomination could now not fly.
A ranking Senator in APC showed that a number of his colleagues had been meeting informally on Onochie’s appointment.
He stated even as the senators might now not need to confront Buhari, they have been sending emissaries to some main officials to prevail on him to study the nomination of Onochie.
He listed the options to be had to the President as follows:
Leaving the Senate to decide her destiny, with a view to lead to the rejection of the presidential nominee.
A win-win state of affairs by means of winning on the Senate leadership to advocate the President to review Onochie’s nomination.
Giving the slot to another country inside the South-South instead of Delta
Insisting on her choice by means of the President will warmth up the polity unnecessarily.
Retain Onochie, pollute INEC in advance of 2023
He stated: “We have met with some of our colleagues in PDP based totally on public resentment in opposition to the nomination of Onochie.
“Even many Civil Society Organizations do no longer need her.
“It is exciting that APC senators are becoming a member of forces with PDP on this example.
“We do not need any disaster with the President but we've got resolved to prevail on our leadership to invite the President to make a fresh nomination.
“So, there may be opportunity that we can reject her. Most opinions do not favour her.”
A Senator from the North-West said: “Going through Section 14(2a) of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution as amended, ‘a member of the commission will be non-partisan and someone of unquestionable integrity.
“But I, as an APC senator, know that she is positively partisan. She has been giving PDP sleepless nights.
“We can't pull away from the truth in any respect. Let her continue to be within the workplace wherein she has been doing a terrific task to guard this administration from the competition.
“Some of us will honestly oppose her nomination no matter the truth that we are in APC.”
A PDP Senator said despite the fact that the nomination of Onochie is but to be noted the best committee, her “destiny is sealed.”
He stated: “The PDP caucus will forestall her at all value. We will not walk out. We will ask the President of the Senate to problem her nomination to vote.
“Some lobbyists had been achieving out to senators, such as myself. But on this age, we have movies and statements portraying her as partisan.
“Although the excuse we got was that she made the ones utterances in the line of obligation, we've additionally instructed those lobbyists that she does no longer want to change her task which she is doing excellently well. Her live in INEC could be perilous.”
Notwithstanding, some governors were lobbying to ensure the affirmation of Onochie.
“Some of those governors claimed that Onochie has been doing only a media task, not a partisan undertaking.
“They stated the candidate has a very rich revel in which ought to not be sacrificed on the altar of bias.
“This is the state of affairs as I talk to you. We are awaiting the President to refer the nomination to the relevant committee,” a Senator brought.
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