The Senate has asked its Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission to screen for confirmation as INEC commissioners, Ms Lauretta Onochie and five others.
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, gave the assignment to the committee during Senate plenary on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had eight month ago sent the names of Ms Onochie, five others to the Senate to screen and confirm as INEC commissioners.
Onochie is an aide to President Buhari on social media. She is also said to be a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress party.
When the name was forwarded to the Senate, members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the Senate had kicked against it, accusing Onochie of unnecessarily casting aspersions on the PDP.
Another reason they kicked against Onochie, who is an ardent supporter of Buhari, was that she isa card-carrying member of the APC.
However, eight months after, the list resurfaced during the plenary of the lawmakers on Wednesday and Onochie’s name and those of the five others were sent to the Senate INEC panel chaired by Senator Kabiru Gaya.
Gaya and members of the committee were given four weeks to conclude the screening and report back to the Senate.