Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw the nomination of his Special Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, as a commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Wike, who spoke in Port Harcourt on Monday while giving an account of his stewardship to the people of the state, said Onochie’s nomination should not be allowed to stand.
“It seems the APC-led Senate is determined to confirm her appointment as part of their grand design to rig the 2023 general elections well ahead of time, knowing Nigerians would overwhelmingly reject them in a free, fair and transparent contest managed by a strong and independent election management committee.
“As a governor and concerned Nigerian who loves this country so much and wants our democracy to survive, I wish to appeal to Mr. President to, for the sake of his legacy, withdraw Ms. Onochie’s nomination to avoid creating more credibility problems for his INEC and restore confidence in our electoral system.
“Where Mr. President lacks the courage to so do, then the National Assembly, which has a responsibility to defend our democracy, must endeavour to wake up on the right side of history by rejecting her nomination,” the governor said.
Similarly, the national leadership of Action Alliance (AA), one of the 18 registered political parties in the country, has urged Mrs. Lauretta Onochie, to reject her nomination.
AA National Chairman, Hon. Adekunle Rufai Omo-Aje, who said this at the end of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, explained that if Onochie is given the INEC job, she may not be fair and just.
