Rescind Your Nomination Of Onochie As INEC National Commissioner, Melaye Tells Buhari

Daily Metro News NG

A member of the 8th Senator, Dino Melaye has call on President Muhammadu Buhari to rescind his nomination of his Media Aide, Lauretta Onochie as INEC Commissioner.

Melaye said this in a press statement he personally signed and made available to Daily Metro News correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday, said Buhari’s nominee has failed to meet constitutional requirements for the job.

Melaye described Onochie as a biased person as a member of the APC and therefore will be an affront on the patience of Nigerians and insult to the electoral umpire as an institution.

Below is the full press statement unedited:

PRESS STATEMENT 

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Melaye To Buhari: Rescind Your Nomination Of Lauretta Onochie As INEC National Commissioner

A three-time member of the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately rescind the nomination of his Special Assistant on Social Media, Ms. Lauretta Onochie, as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Melaye described the nomination as unconstitutional, affront on the patience of Nigerians and an insult to the institution of INEC.

“She is biased as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), hence this is an affront on the patience of Nigerians and insult to the electoral umpire as an institution.

“I hereby call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately rescind her nomination forwarded to the Senate today otherwise I will mobilise Nigerians to challenge this decision, which is unconstitutional,” Melaye said.

The Kogi-born politician added that by nominating Onochie as INEC National Commissioner, President Buhari has violated the 1999 Constitution, which he swore to uphold at all times.

“It’s a known fact of law that Item F, Paragraph 14 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) clearly forbids a card carrying member of a political party to be a member of INEC,” Melaye noted.

Signed:
Senator Dino Melaye