By Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned Senate President Ahmad Lawan not to confirm the Personal Assistant to the President on Social Media, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie, as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

President Muhammadu Buhari had, in October 2020, forwarded Onochie’s name and those of two other nominees to the Senate for confirmation as INEC commissioners.

The Senate had kept the President’s nomination in abeyance, following public outcry over Mrs. Onochie’s alleged membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Senate, last week, referred Onochie and the two other nominees to its Committee on INEC for screening and possible recommendation for confirmation.

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But addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja, PDP’s spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said the party urged Lawan to respect Nigerians by rejecting Onochie’s nomination.

He threatened that the party would take legal action if Onochie is eventually confirmed.

The PDP spokesman also told the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Kabiru Gaya, to resist any attempt by the Senate leadership to do an “incredulous, irresponsible and dirty job” of confirming Onochie to the Committee of the Whole Senate.

He urged Gaya to immediately stand down all deliberations that concern Onochie before his committee.

Ologbondiyan said: “Senator Lawan must know that Nigerians are now holding him directly answerable for gross misconduct and impeachable act of perfidy for sending Onochie’s already rejected nomination to the Gaya’s Committee, in utter violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and total derision for the sensibility of Nigerians.

“Our party reminds Senator Lawan that the reasons that forced his hands to stand down Onochie’s faulted nomination eight months ago have neither changed nor abated. The reasons are still sticking and they are not far-fetched.

“In case Lawan needs to be reminded, paragraph 14 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) forbids a person involved in partisan politics to hold office as a member of INEC.”