The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has on Wednesday, directed the Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to screen for confirmation, the appointments of Senior Special Assistant on Social Media to President Muhammadu Buhari, Lauretta Onochie, and five other nominees as INEC commissioners.

This is coming eight months after President Muhammadu Buhari sent the list of the nominees to the Senate for screening.

READ ALSO: PMB nominates media assistant, Lauretta, 3 others as INEC commissioners

Protests among some senators in the red chamber had stopped the process of the screening last year October.

Presenting an executive communication from Buhari, seeking the confirmation of the nominees at plenary on Wednesday, leader of the Senate, Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi (APC Kebbi -North) said: “That the Senate do consider the request of Mr President on the confirmation of the nomination of the following persons for appointment as commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in accordance with paragraph 14 part I(F) of the third schedule to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

“The nominees are Prof. Muhammad Sani Kallah (Commissioner Katsina); Lauretta Onochie (Commissioner Delta), Prof. Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Commissioner Ekiti); Saidu Babura Ahmad (Commissioner Jigawa); Prof. Sani Muhammad Adam (Commissioner North- Central) and Dr Baba Bila (Commissioner North- East).”

However, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia) and minority leader, when asked to second the motion by the Senate leader, said Lauretta Onochie as a nominee had been rejected by the Senate earlier.

Senate president, Ahmad Lawan in his remark, however, referred the nominations to the Committee on INEC for further legislative inputs and to report back in two weeks.

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