President Muhammadu Buhari has sent the name of Lauretta Onochie as the substantive chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan read the nomination letters sent to the senate by the president on Wednesday naming others as members of the board.
They are:
- Samuel Ibukun as Managing Director
- Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere, Director of Finance
- Charles Ogunmola, Director of Project
- Dimgba Erugba (Abia)
- Ene Wilcox (Akwa Ibom)
- Pius Odudu (Edo)
- Gbenga Odegba (Ondo)
- Anthony Ekene (Imo)
- Onyekachi Dimgba (Rivers)
- Mohammed Kabiru Abubakar (Nasarawa)
- Tallen Mamma (Adamawa)
- and Sodique Sani
Onochie is President Buhari’s Special Assistant on Social Media and was nominated in 2020 as a commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commissioner.
The nomination sparked outrage from the public that accused the president of putting forward a member of the ruling APC to become an electoral umpire.
Thereafter, the senate rejected her nomination in July 2021, forcing President Buhari to replace her.
Wednesday’s letter was the second President Buhari would be sending containing NDDC board nominees for confirmation.
The first list was forwarded in 2021 and the senate screened and confirmed the nominees.
Senate President Lawan said the president’s decision to send another list of nominees was due to a flaw in the first one.
