Buhari Nominates Lauretta Onochie As NDDC Board Chairman

The new media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Lauretta Onochie on Wednesday was appointed as the substantive chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

President Buhari in a letter forwarded to the 9th senate led by Ahmad Lawan also announced the nomination of 15 others as NDDC board members.

The President in the letter which was read in the upper chamber at plenary on Wednesday requested the Senate to confirm the nominees.

Recall that President Buhari in October 2020, nominated Onochie as the National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to represent Delta State.

The nomination was, however, condemned by members of the opposition party and civil society groups.

They had claimed that she is a card-carrying of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who can not serve in a sensitive institution like INEC.

Onochie on three different occassions during her screening denied that she is a member of the APC.

Lawmakers in the Senate eventually rejected her nomination based on the federal character principle.

The chairman of the screening panel, Senator Kabiru Gaya said there was currently a serving commissioner of INEC from Delta State, where Onochie hails from, and confirming her appointment would violate the constitutional provision.