CITIZENS COMPASS– A Chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Delta State Gubernatorial Aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has said Ms Lauretta Onochie is suitable for the Chairmanship position of Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC).
This is coming few days after Senate confirmation of her nomination for the vacant position.
Onuesoke said this yesterday, while fielding questions from newsmen in Asaba, Delta State.
According to him, Onochie being an indigene of Delta State an Oil producing state is eminently qualified as the Chairman of the Board.
The PDP Chieftain recalled that when she was nominated as INEC Commissioner, the people rejected her probably because she was a card carrying member of APC and Media Aide to President Muhammadu Buhari and as such could be partisan, adding that in this case of NNDC appointment, she deserved the position.
While congratulating Onochie on the appointment, Onuesoke stated, “the appointment of the Chairman under the Act is not tied to an indigene of an Oil producing area/community, it is rather tied to states and the President has the prerogative of choosing who he wants from Delta State and Lauretta Onochie is his choice and in this case, a square peg in a square hole. You cannot import into the Act what is not, therefore, Section 2 (1b) is inapplicable to the appointment of the Chairman.”
Onuesoke recounted that he watched absent-mindedly the Arise TV interview where the position of the Act on the President’s nomination of Lauretta Onochie was described as unlawful, stressing that such a position is a misunderstanding of the Act as it relates to the said nomination.
“First, Section 2(1a) has the Chairman of the board standing on its own, while Section 2 (1b) stands alone, since both are not used conjunctively, they must be read as such.
“Second, Section 2(3) defines who is a member as stated in Section 2b (i-f), once again the Chairman is not defined along with the members.
“Third, Section 4 mentioned the office of the Chairman on the basis of States and not on the basis of an INDIGENE of Oil Producing area or community.
“Fourthly, Section 2, subsection 2 states that: “the president shall appoint chairman and other members” again, the Chairman is separated from members as defined in 2 (1b)(i -f),” he stated.
He urged Deltans to be grateful that the appointment is giving to their own person and not someone from another Oil producing state like Bayelsa, Rivers and Ondo states among others.
“As a bonafide daughter of the oil-rich region, she knows where the shoe pinches the people and, as digital and social media aide of President Muhammadu Buhari for over seven years, she has been groomed to know the mindset of the President, his vision and mission for the good of the Niger Delta people.” He said.
