Editorial: The President’s aide as INEC Commissioner?

President Muhammadu Buhari recently nominated his Senior Special Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, as an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Commissioner presumably representing Delta State.

In the letter which he sent to Senate President Ahmed Lawan, there were three other nominees namely: Professor Mohammed Sani (Katsina), Professor Kunle Ajayi (Ekiti) and Seidu Ahmed (Jigawa). No one has raised objections to the nominations of the others.

Different individuals and groups have raised eyebrows over Onochie’s nomination because it is inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the 1999 Federal Constitution of Nigeria.

Human rights lawyer, Ebun Adegboruwa (SAN) described the nomination as ‘insensitive’.

As expected, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its members or supporters have been the most vociferous protesters against the nomination.

They have contended that as a cardcarrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who had in the past stridently attacked perceived critics of the governing party, she is partisan and cannot be neutral as a member of the umpire body – Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Situation Room, a coalition of 70 civil society organisations (CSOs) maintained that the constitution forbids the ‘appointment of a partisan politician as a member of INEC’.

President Buhari should graciously consider these views and act wisely. But why has there been outrage about the nomination?

Has the President violated any section of the Constitution? Can Onochie be objective in an election in which her mentor has an interest?

Elections are moral acts and processes which should be held in a transparent atmosphere. Morality plays a role in electoral processes.

By appointing a partisan as an electoral umpire, the credibility of the election will suffer imperilment. Onochie has been visibly and rabidly partisan.

Thus any election she conducts and presides over as an umpire would lack authenticity.

What this means is that the entire process would be in jeopardy ab initio.

The nomination should be stepped down as canvassed by some senators and patriots.

We must avoid electoral strife that her role as umpire might give rise to.

Furthermore, to ensure the credibility of elections, the nation’s constitution prohibits politically partisan persons from being electoral umpires.

Section 14(29) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, states that, “a member of the commission shall be non-partisan and a person of unquestionable integrity,” while Section 14 (3b) of the same schedule states that “there shall be for each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, a resident electoral commissioner who shall be a person of unquestionable integrity and shall not be a member of any political party.”

This is explicit enough! In 2019, Olalekan Raheem, an APC member who was nominated as a Resident Electoral Commissioner by the president, was rejected by the Senate on the grounds of partisanship.

It will be strange if the same principle does not apply in the present case.

For consistency, therefore, the Senate should do its rightful duty and reject Onochie’s nomination.

What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander! It is our considered view that because elections in Nigeria are usually contentious, the federal government should not create room for the citizens to doubt the sincerity and credibility of the electoral process by actions which are inimical to the common good.

Buhari should be interested in creating a legacy through lofty statesmanship both in his utterances and actions. One way of etching his name in gold is the appointment of credible persons to positions.

The beauty that was the last Edo State governorship elections is still fresh in our memories. Nothing should be done to put ashes in the mouth of Nigerians.

There are credible citizens in the country who have the mental attitude and conduct to be electoral umpires.

President Buhari should choose electoral umpires from among these people.

He should not endanger the electoral process by appointing his cronies and minions who are blindly and rabidly partisan and subjective in policy analysis and crisis management. Onochie is fiercely loyal to Buhari.

In governance, this is crucial and we commend her for it. A leader needs loyal persons to drive his agenda.

However, Onochie should be appointed to another position, befitting of a die-hard loyalist.

An arbiter, like Caesar’s wife, should be above board. Onochie by reason of her partisanship and often foulmouthed attacks on the President’s critics cannot be said to be above board on the issues of the day.

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No amount of sophistry from any quarters in support of Onochie’s nomination and appointment will suffice.

Finally, the #EndSARS protest which rocked the nation recently was a call to justice and fair play in the polity.

The government needs to reassure the youths of this country that it is committed to truth, transparency and fairness.