LAGOS DECEMBER 21ST (URHOBOTODAY)-Few  days after  Senate confirmation of  the nomination of Ms  Lauretta Onochie as Chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain and former Delta State Gubernatorial Aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke affirmed that she is eminently qualified for the position.

Onuesoke who spoke on the back drop against those opposed to her appointment   during an encounter with newsmen  in  Asaba, Delta State  yesterday said   Onochie being an indigene of Delta State which is oil producing state   is  extremely qualified to be 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 it because she is fully  qualified.

While congratulating Onochie on her deserved appointment,  Onuesoke stated, “Taken together, 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 it 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 now, she is groomed enough to know the mindset of the President and his vision and mission for the good of the Niger Delta people,” Onuesoke disclosed.