Negative reactions have continued to trail the nomination of Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari’s personal assistant, Mrs Lauretta Onochie as National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
A political organization, the Northern PDP New Media Strategists (NPDPNMS), in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Abdallah, made available to The DAILY VENDOR, said it received with rude shock and dismay the news of nomination of an APC card carrying member and apologist, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie as nominee for National Commissioner into the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).
According to the group “This is coming against the backdrop of undenied allegations that President Muhammadu Buhari appointed his family relation, Amina Zakari into the INEC before the 2019 elections which were clearly marred by rigging and subversion of the will of the electorates.
“The 2019 election is adjudged the worst in the history of elections in Nigeria by so many observer bodies both local and international.
“To appoint Mrs Lauretta Onochie a Presidential aide and a full blooded member of the APC into the INEC is akin to being a Judge in your own case, we, the northern PDP new media strategists see this as rigging of the 2023 elections in advance and will do everything including calling on the international committee of nations to call and sanction President Buhari and his undemocratic manipulations of the electoral body, INEC.
“We will rather President Buhari stop taking Nigerians for a jolly ride of convoluted democracy and just go ahead to appoint a President for Nigeria in 2023 instead of having a Lauretta Onochie as an umpire in an election which her party the APC will run against others.
“It will be recalled that, President Buhari has continue to erode all Democratic gains made in the 2015 Elections that brought him to power as an opposition.
President Buhari’s refusal to assent the 2019 Electoral act has left the elections at the mercy of Manipulation, rigging and willful shortchanging of the will of Nigerians.
“As if that is not enough, then comes again the nomination of an APC stalwart and a Presidential aide into the electoral body, INEC.
This nomination is unacceptable and immoral, as it is illegal, the group said.
It however called on the Senate of the Federal Republic to reject the nomination if President Buhari does not see reason to withdraw the nomination with immediate effect.
“President Buhari should also hasten up to initiate Electoral reforms, including assenting to the Electoral Amendment bill that will bring the required transparency and integrity to Nigeria Elections,” it said.
