Former Ekiti Deputy Gov Warns against Re-presenting Onochie to Senate

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Former Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Dr. Sikiru Lawal, has warned President Muhammadu Buhari against re-presenting his Special Assistant, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie, to the Senate as a Commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying doing so would be insulting to Nigerians.

Lawal in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti yesterday commended the Senator Ahmed Lawan-led Senate for the outright rejection of the nomination.

He said the rejection of the special assistant to the president would sanitise the polity and uphold the integrity of INEC as a true and unbiased electoral umpire.

The former deputy to Governor Segun Oni opined that the rejection of Onochie was in order, as according to him, it was in line with extant law guiding the operations of INEC.

Lawal, who is aspiring for the governorship slot of the state in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claimed that the approval of Onochie would ridicule INEC and fortify rigging in forthcoming elections.

He insisted that “there was no way Onochie could be neutral and upright in the supervision of national elections, opining that it was only a credible election that could guarantee peace in the country.”

Also, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Raphael Adeyanju, described Onochie as the most unfit to be INEC commissioner.

Adeyanju added that it could have been a monumental disservice to the country and serious indictment on the country’s corporate integrity if Onochie had been cleared for the INEC top job.