The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Delta north senatorial district has thrown it’s weight behind the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The endorsement of Onochie who hails from Onicha-Olona in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta north (Anioma) followed protests that greeted her nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari.
But rising from a meeting of APC leaders and stakeholders in Delta north, the party loyalists thanked the President for the nomination, and urged the Senate to clear her as screened.
Their position was contained in a communiqué signed by Cyprian Ashibuogu, Clement Ozegbe, Nkem Osu and Onyeisi Nwokolobia.
It urged the Senate to “ignore the fictitious and frivolous petition from a senatorial district in Delta who has vehemently opposed her nomination because she is Anioma daughter. We affirm that she is a technocrat and has been part of us and she is not a card carrying member of our party, APC.”
Urging governorship aspirants from the zone to indicate their interests, the communiqué appealed to the south and central to support their quest to produce the governorship candidate in 2023 on the ground that Anioma nation has never contested the governorship seat on the platform of APC.
On the party congresses, it implored members to remain resolute for peaceful and successful exercise, noting that they would resist any attempt by politicians from other senatorial districts to dictate the outcome of the congresses in their area.
The meeting was attended by the director on the board of the Nigerian Maritime and Airspace Management Agency (NIMASA), Victor Ochei; immediate past director on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Cairo Ojougboh; 2019 deputy governorship candidate of the party, Ossai Abbey, among others.
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Meanwhile, the meeting unanimously elected Ben Onwuka as the vice chairman (Delta north) of the state APC caretaker committee, following the defection of the former occupant, George Okafor to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Onwuka’s election is coming one week after the state chairman of the caretaker committee, Jones Erue was said to have led about 10, out of the 34 state executive members, to swear-in Fred Mordi as vice chairman (Delta north).
