A Human Rights Lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mike Ozekhome, has spoken out on controversy surrounding the screening by the 9th Senate of Lauretta Onochie, a supposed member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and Presidential Aide, as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ahead of the 2023 general elections, .
Speaking to Sunday PUNCH, Mike Ozekhome said that Onochie’s nomination for was faulty, because of her affiliation with the ruling All Progressives Congress, and being a diehard devotee of President Muhammadu Buhari.
His exact words: “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. 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 added that he would not be surprised if, despite the widespread criticisms, the 9th Senate goes ahead to confirm Onochie for the job, arguing that, by confirming Onochie, the 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.”
More news later…
