CSOs Sue Buhari over Onochie’s Appointment as INEC Commissioner

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has instituted a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over the nomination of Mrs. Lauretta Onochie, as Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Onochie was nominated as an INEC’s commissioner by President Muhammadu Buhari since October 2020, but the Senate President, Mr. Ahmad Lawan, read the presidential letter of nomination only last month.

The CSOs, in the suit that was filed before the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, with suit FHC/ABJ/CS/604/2021, were seeking the order of court to determine whether the president “can nominate a card-carrying member or members of his political party or any other political party in Nigeria, as a national commissioner or resident electoral commissioner for the independent national electoral commission”, contrary to Sections 14 (2a), 14 (3), 14 (3b), 14 (4) and Section 154 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended in 2011).

In the originating summons that was made available to THISDAY, the groups were seeking a declaratory order of the court to declare the nomination of “Lauretta Onochie, a well-known member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and current serving personal assistant on social media to the 1st defendant (Buhari), as a national commissioner for the INEC”, as “wrongful, illegal, null and void and same nullified.”

Other reliefs sought included an order “restraining the 3rd and 4th defendants (the senate and Kabiru Gaya) from referring, considering, screening, deliberating or confirming the nomination of Ms. Lauretta Onochie.” According to an affidavit that was deposed by a board member of the incorporated trustees of the YIAGA Africa Initiative, Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu, in support of the originating summons, the plaintiffs submitted that considering the close affinity with Buhari and his administration, “Onochie cannot be a fair and unbiased umpire to serve in the INEC.

“That her criticism and constant denigration of political opponents cannot allow such opponents to be at ease seeing a member of another political party presiding as a supposed unbiased umpire.”