The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as chairperson of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). 

Ms Onochie, a former Special Assistant on Social Media to President Muhammadu Buhari, was confirmed alongside 12 others as a board member of the NDDC. 

The upper chamber and the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta screened Ms Onochie last week Thursday. 

Her earlier nomination faced a lot of resistance from different political groups, who does not want her for the top oil job. 

Also, some members of the Senate committee kicked against Ms Onochie because she is not from the main oil-producing community in Delta State, which is against the NDDC Act preventing her from chairing the oil board. 

In November, Mr Buhari had asked the national assembly to confirm Ms Onochie’s appointment as the substantive chairperson of the board of the NDDC in accordance with the provisions of section 2(2)(a) of the NDDC (Establishment) Act.

Earlier, the president nominated Ms Onochie as a national commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from Delta State but the Senate rejected her nomination based on her partisan posture. 

Ms Onochie is believed to be a “card-carrying member” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and has been a vociferous voice against the opposition.