Human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has faulted the nomination screening of Lauretta Onochie as a commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Speaking to Sunday PUNCH, Ozekhome stated that that Onochie’s nomination for INEC job was faulty, because of her affiliation with the ruling All Progressives Congress and being a diehard devotee of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ozekhome said, “Have they ever read the constitution? Do they know the meaning of the word ‘independent’ attached to our electoral umpire? What would you expect from such a rabidly partisan woman other than outright and unbridled rigging of any elections she presides over, or is involved in? She is simply a direct participant and beneficiary in any such elections.
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“No one has been known to fail himself or herself in an examination in which such a person is student, invigilator, marker, examiner and marks awarder.”
Ozekhome, however, expressed that he would not be surprised if, despite widespread criticisms, the Senate goes ahead to confirm Onochie for the job.
He expressed that by confirming Onochie, the Ahmad Lawan-led Senate would only be reinforcing itself as “arguably the worst in Nigeria’s legislative history since the golden days of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Nwafor Orizu and the Eighth National Assembly.”