The Senate on Thursday begins the screening of nominees for appointment as National Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, including one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s aides, Lauretta Onochie.
Onochie arrived at the Senate wing of the National Assembly at about 11 am, accompanied by the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Babajide Omoworare.
She was immediately ushered into the office of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Kabri Gaya.
Moments after, Onochie re-emerged from behind closed doors and headed to Hearing Room 211, the new venue for the screening exercise after the initial venue was changed.
The nomination of Onochie who currently serves as Senior Special Assistant on New Media to President Buhari has provoked serious public outcry with the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, kicking vehemently against her nomination.
According to the PDP, Onochie is a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and by virtue of her political affiliation with the APC is not fit and proper to be appointed as an election officer.
The party believes that Onochie will pollute the atmosphere of neutrality, and fair play in the Commission if the Senate goes ahead to approve her nomination.
On Thursday, the Senate Committee on INEC begins the screening of Onochie and five others.
The nominees include Professor Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina); Professor Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti), and Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa).
Others are Professor Sani Muhammad Adam (North-Central), Dr. Baba Bila (Northeast).