Some senior lawyers have spoken out about the unfolding
drama trailing the nomination and screening of Lauretta Onochie as a
commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist, Mike
Ozekhome, told PUNCH 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 the 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. 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, said he would not be surprised if,
despite widespread criticisms, the Senate goes ahead to confirm Onochie for the
job.
The SAN argued 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.”
In a separate interview with Sunday PUNCH, Remi Olatubora
(SAN) described Onochie as “the most unqualified person for INEC job, given her
obvious partisanship in favour of the APC and the President in the last few
years.”
The SAN added that if a recent affidavit which Onochie
deposed to, affirming her membership of the ruling APC was true, her claim
before the Senate that she was no longer an APC member would amount to perjury,
which, he warned, is a grievous criminal offence.
Olatubora said, “One, if she was no longer a member of APC
as she presently claimed but deposed to an affidavit that she is a member, she
committed perjury. Perjury is one of the most serious offences in the Nigerian
criminal law, because it directly subverts administration of justice.
“Two, if she is still
a member of the APC and she testified to the contrary before the Senate of the
Federal Republic, she has committed perjury and criminal contempt in the face
of the parliament of the Federal Republic.”
Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN) ascribed the situation to the alleged
lack of respect that the present administration has for public opinion.
He said, “It speaks to the fact that Buhari has a low opinion of Nigerians and is very contemptuous of public opinion. Otherwise, that woman ought not to be nominated at all. She is partisan, no doubt about that.”
Adedipe stated that it was not a crime for Lauretta Onochie
to be a member of the APC, however, the INEC role requires non-partisanship.
“She is a member of the APC. That is not a crime; but the
constitution expects that whoever will be a member of the INEC would be
non-partisan,” he said.
Adedipe also added that the Nigerian Senate had not acted
well in the matter.
“I do not know how the Senate would have considered it
appropriate to invite her for screening. They would have asked the president to
give them someone else.
“As it is, INEC is not free of controversies, then you now
add Onochie to it. That would be dangerous.
“I do not support her nomination and find her denial of
being a member of the APC quite telling,” he added.
Recall that the President of the
Senate, Ahmad Lawan, had asked the Senate Committee on INEC to screen Onochie
and five others as INEC Commissioners.
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