Prof Attahiru Jega, a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has observed that the presidency could avoid controversy on Lauretta Onochie’s nomination as INEC commissioner.
Jega made the observation when he featured on ChannelsTV’s current affairs programme, Sunday Politics, Sunday night.
The presidency had nominated Onochie for the second time and Nigeria’s Senate on Thursday, against raging condemnation by Nigerians who claim that she is a card carrying member of the ring All Progressives Congress, APC, screened her.
Onochie, during her screening by the Senate Committee on INEC however, denied being a member of the APC since 2019.
However, Jega said that the President Muhammadu Buhari could avoid the controversy by withdrawing Onochie’s nomination and replacing her with another female from her state, noting that there are many other eligible women for the job.
“This kind of controversy is really avoidable. Any person who generated such a controversy; the appointing authorities should be careful because you don’t want to appoint anybody that can raise suspicions or doubts or can lead to a loss of trust of the electoral management body,” Jega said.
