Wike To Buhari: Withdraw Onochie’s Nomination As INEC Commissioner

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has kicked against the ongoing
attempt to make Ms. Lauretta Onoche a Commissioner of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as
a bad omen for Nigeria’s democracy.

The Governor spoke on Monday at Obi Wali International
Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, where he rendered an account of
his stewardship in six years.

Wike said the most fundamental consideration in the appointment
of a candidate as an electoral umpire, in a democracy, was the
elimination of bias.

The Governor observed that there was a heavyweight of bias
against Onoche because she remained a “notorious and repulsively
partisan dye-in-the-wool member of the All progressives Congress
(APC)”.

He said: “As a Governor and concerned Nigerian who loves this
country so much and wants our democracy to survive, I wish to
appeal to Mr. President to, for the sake of his legacy, withdraw
Ms. Onoche’s nomination to avoid creating more credibility problems
for his INEC and restore confidence in our electoral system.

“Where Mr. President lacks the courage to so do, then, the
National Assembly, which has a responsibility to defend our
democracy must endeavour to wake up on the right side of history by
rejecting her nomination.”

Speaking on the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, Wike
said everyone who means well for democracy knows that electronic
voting and simultaneous transmission of results have the potential
to prevent the large-scale rigging of elections.

Wike said that with a commitment to purpose and prudent
management of available resources, his administration in the past
six years had drastically changed the developmental trajectory of
the state for the better.

The Governor said the newly commissioned Rivers Cassava
Processing Company by his administration and the cassava value
chain would be used to create wealth, income and jobs for Rivers’
teaming youths willing to take to the business of agriculture.

He explained that since 2015, his administration had delivered
over 1000 kilometres of Trunk-A roads; embarked on construction of
phase one of the trans-Kalabari road, simultaneous construction of
ten arterial flyovers, with three already commissioned and
connected the ancient coastal community of Opobo to the rest of the
State and the country by a tarred road.

The administration, according to him, also transformed not less
than 18 major single lane roads to dual carriage ways with
streetlights, pedestrian walkways and covered drains while the
dualization of, Ahoada – Omoku and Egbema Omoku roads was also
underway.

The Governor said his government reclaimed vast swathes of
sand-filled land for some of the coastal communities, including
Abalama, Bakana and Kula to advance their development and also
started the sand filling of 55 and 42 hectares of reclaimed land
for Abonnema/Obonnoma and Okrika communities respectively.

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has kicked against the ongoing
attempt to make Ms. Lauretta Onoche a Commissioner of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as
a bad omen for Nigeria’s democracy.

The Governor spoke on Monday at Obi Wali International
Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, where he rendered an account of
his stewardship in six years.

Wike said the most fundamental consideration in the appointment
of a candidate as an electoral umpire, in a democracy, was the
elimination of bias.

The Governor observed that there was a heavyweight of bias
against Onoche because she remained a “notorious and repulsively
partisan dye-in-the-wool member of the All progressives Congress
(APC)”.

He said: “As a Governor and concerned Nigerian who loves this
country so much and wants our democracy to survive, I wish to
appeal to Mr. President to, for the sake of his legacy, withdraw
Ms. Onoche’s nomination to avoid creating more credibility problems
for his INEC and restore confidence in our electoral system.

“Where Mr. President lacks the courage to so do, then, the
National Assembly, which has a responsibility to defend our
democracy must endeavour to wake up on the right side of history by
rejecting her nomination.”

Speaking on the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, Wike
said everyone who means well for democracy knows that electronic
voting and simultaneous transmission of results have the potential
to prevent the large-scale rigging of elections.

Wike said that with a commitment to purpose and prudent
management of available resources, his administration in the past
six years had drastically changed the developmental trajectory of
the state for the better.

The Governor said the newly commissioned Rivers Cassava
Processing Company by his administration and the cassava value
chain would be used to create wealth, income and jobs for Rivers’
teaming youths willing to take to the business of agriculture.

He explained that since 2015, his administration had delivered
over 1000 kilometres of Trunk-A roads; embarked on construction of
phase one of the trans-Kalabari road, simultaneous construction of
ten arterial flyovers, with three already commissioned and
connected the ancient coastal community of Opobo to the rest of the
State and the country by a tarred road.

The administration, according to him, also transformed not less
than 18 major single lane roads to dual carriage ways with
streetlights, pedestrian walkways and covered drains while the
dualization of, Ahoada – Omoku and Egbema Omoku roads was also
underway.

The Governor said his government reclaimed vast swathes of
sand-filled land for some of the coastal communities, including
Abalama, Bakana and Kula to advance their development and also
started the sand filling of 55 and 42 hectares of reclaimed land
for Abonnema/Obonnoma and Okrika communities respectively.