Ms Lauretta Onochie, a National Commissioner nominee for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has denied membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) or any political party in Nigeria.
Onochie was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari to represent Delta State in the commission.
At the screening of nominees at the Senate on Thursday, Onochie, currently a Senior Special Assistant to the President, disavowed all the registered political parties in the country.
The nomination of Onochie had triggered an outcry from opposition parties, the media and some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
The CSOs had petitioned the Senate Committee on INEC, alleging that Onochie was a card-carrying member of APC, hence not qualified to be appointed as an INEC national commissioner.
The petitioners had alleged that her nomination negated sections of the 1999 Constitution and Federal Character principles
While responding to the petitions she said: “Since 2019 when President Muhammadu won a second term, I have removed myself from anything political. I was not even anticipating myself to be here defending my nomination to INEC.
“Since 2019, I have not had anything to do with any political organisation in this country.
“Not even the Buhari Support Organisation; I have not had anything to do with them since 2019.
“When APC decided to do the revalidation of their membership, I did not take part in that exercise, so, as I am sitting down here, I am not a member of any political party in this country.”
On issue of having two persons nominated from Delta as INEC national commissioners, Onochie said:
“I am from Delta, Mrs May Agbamuche Mbu is also from Delta but married to someone from Cross River and she was nominated to represent Cross River, not Delta.”
On her capacity to be impartial, if confirmed, Onochie said she had learnt to stand with the law, policies, due process and procedures, having worked as a lecturer, a trainer of people with learning difficulties who had suffered several kinds of partiality and discrimination.
Following her affirmation that she was not a member of any political party, Sen. Michael Opeyemi (APC-Ekiti) suggested that the nominee be put on oath on the statement credited to her at the screening.
Senators Ike Ekweremadu (PDP-Enugu) and Seriake Dickson (PDP-Bayelsa), however, objected to her being put under oath, noting that it was not in line with senate rules.
Some of the other nominees screened were by the Sen. Kabiru Gaya (APC Kano)-led Committee included Prof. Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina), Prof. Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti) and Mr Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa).
In his remarks, Gaya said the committee would look at the responses of the nominees to questions and issues put to them and turn in its report to the plenary.
