FRESH facts have revealed that presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie, didn’t quit partisan politics in 2019 as claimed .
Onochie had on Thursday appeared before the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which screened her for the position of a national commissioner.
She was nominated for the position by President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2020.
If confirmed, she would represent Delta State, and by extension, the South-South geopolitical zone in the commission.
However, her nomination has triggered outrage among Nigerians, with many describing it as unconstitutional.
Many Nigerians have asked the president to withdraw the nomination on the ground that Onochie is partisan, and so, it would be undemocratic for her to be appointed into such an office.
But Onochie, who said she had been out of politics since 2019, described herself as “madam due process.”
“I have seen the petitions against me, but I stand for justice and fairness, nobody has anything to fear. I am madam due process and this is the reason behind my attacks. I follow the law and due process.
“Since Buhari was elected as president for the second term, I have removed myself from everything about politics. Since 2019, I don’t have anything to do with politics. As I am sitting down here, I am not a member of any political party in this country,” she told the panel.
But Onochie’s claim has been found to be false as a tweet by the presidential aide on June 24, 2020 shows she promoted the APC, stating that the party was going through a growth process.
Onochie, via her verifiable twitter handle, @Laurestar, tweeted, “There is definitely an APC e-NEC meeting tomorrow.”
Similarly, an affidavit dated 30th June 2021 sworn by Onochie at an FCT High Court attached to one of the petitions against her, also contradicted her claims.
She deposed to the affidavit at the High Court of the FCT in a case involving her as plaintiff an Emeka Ugwuonye (defendant).
Onochie in her witness statement on oath affirmed among others that, “I am also a member of the All Progressives Congress and a volunteer at the Buhari Support Organisation.”
