Again, Buhari Nominates Another APC Member As INEC Commissioner
President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated a member of the All Progressives Congress to serve as a commissioner on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Buhari said last month that Rhoda Gumus, an engineering professor at Niger-Delta University, would take over as his social media adviser from Lauretta Onochie.
The replacement came after Onochie’s nomination, which was based on her political affiliation, sparked controversy.
Her nomination was rejected by the Nigerian Senate.
Buhari, on the other hand, asked the Senate on December 14 to ratify Gumus as Onochie’s replacement as INEC commissioner for the South-South geopolitical zone.
Gumus’ registration documents, which SaharaReporters obtained, prove that she is a member of the ruling party.
The nomination is illegal under the modified constitution of 1999 and the Electoral Act.
On March 27, 2021, she joined the APC, according to the document.
58315 is her membership number.
In the meantime, the Nigerian Human Rights Writers Association has delivered a petition opposing Gumus’ nomination.
HURIWA urged the Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila to reject her nomination in the national interest in a petition dated January 26, 2022 and signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko.
The rights group cautioned the National Assembly against confirming Gumus in order to avoid triggering a massive political crisis that could undermine the country’s democratic process.
