LAURETA ONOCHIE – A PERSONAL ATTESTATION

By UCHE DIALA

A lot has been said about Lauretta Onochie’s nomination as a Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Some of the arguments are plausible while some are downright pedestrian. One of the arguments that many have hung on to is her supposed membership of the All Nigerian People’s Congress (APC).

I will not dwell much on that argument as she has said she is no longer a member of the APC and the fact that she did not revalidate her membership of the Party bears testament to that. I will also not dwell on the conduct of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when it comes to same issue of INEC Commissioners; past and present. That would amount to whataboutism and I am not cut out for that. I would rather dwell on the person of Lauretta Onochie.

So, I come to a more practical question for those who know Lauretta Onochie as a person.

Does she look like someone who will do the APC any favours when it comes to electoral or election matters?
If you do not know her well like I do; I can answer for you: Hell No.

Coming from the British school of politics where political ideology and internal party democracy are everything, she is no ‘slave’ to party just like some of us. Her association with the APC or indeed any party in Nigeria is simply because of President Buhari; again just like so many other Nigerians. I doubt many of these Nigerians referenced would have much to do with party politics after President Buhari leaves office; nonetheless her.

As a matter of fact, I find the plenty talk about her APC membership a little bit humorous without playing down on the possible significance of that. Especially when I consider people who argue that it will make her partial or favor or dance to the tunes of the APC. Such people obviously do not know Lauretta Onochie well.
Please do not misunderstand me. That can be a legitimate concern by those who are well intended.

I daresay that some others who are not well intended should look for something else to say. Maybe they hate her guts and her resilience when it comes to matters concerning President Buhari and his Administration; even detest her for that. On that though, I am sure she does not owe anyone any apologies. I am pretty sure if she is given the option to denounce her loyalty to President Buhari and her convictions about Nigeria and to reject this appointment, she would rather choose to reject the appointment.

This much I know about her, having known and related closely with her for years. She is passionate about a better Nigeria, believes in any cause she commits to, not swayed by sentiments and clearly understands the true intentions and desires of the President for Nigeria beyond all the mischaracterizations and propaganda.

Her antecedents during the Adams Oshiomhole saga and the last Edo elections are good pointers to the fact that if it does not make sense and is not right, she will not follow the crowd sheepishly like many others, simply because of party allegiance. She is neither an ostrich nor a hypocrite. It is that level of self confidence that makes some people uncomfortable with her but that is a positive for a public office holder. It is different from pride and arrogance.

In the Edo instance, even as a Presidential Aide, she strongly made her resistance to the Edo affair, where the party structure was muzzled and the primary manipulated only to smuggle in Pastor Ize Iyanmu with all his baggage by the APC leadership. She felt it was wrong, strictly on principles just like I and many others did and she did not play the ostrich about it. She not only refused to support Ize Iyanmu’s candidature and by implication the APC that she is being harassed for today on that; which was the right but bold and brave thing to do considering the kind of political environment we operate in Nigeria.

Funny enough, many APC members are still angry with her on account of that but what is right is right. So what makes any one think she would pander to the APC as an independent INEC Commissioner? Or is President Buhari running for office again? We must reason beyond the pedestrian and understand the dynamics at play.

Why is this angle I am pushing important? It is called attestation and attestation can only be done by people who really know someone and I know for a fact that Lauretta Onochie is someone with a strong character and a strict set of values, with the knack and tenacity for doing things right and not cutting corners or beating about the bush. It is not so easy to influence her to do the wrong thing.

I know all that about her and maybe some of us might also know same. And that is why all these talks about party membership fly over my head. As a matter of fact, she is the kind of characters we need in an institution like INEC; if we are serious. If only we can jettison our emotions and ultra partisanship to get things right in this nation. Are we saying that one cannot be even a member of the PDP and still be upright and honorable?

However like I already stated, she resigend her membership of the Party and did not revalidate her membership and thus no longer a member of the Party.

By the way, who even says she cannot take money or be compromised and work for the PDP or any other party as an INEC Commissioner; if she is unscrupulous? That one is a member of a political party in Nigeria in particular does not automatically mean that one will favor his or her party; if he or she belongs to one or will not favor any political party; even if he or she does not belong to any. If one does not have integrity, those affiliations mean absolutely nothing.

That is why I prefer to look at people’s integrity, character and records than all these paper requirements which people do not follow themselves by the way. They only mouth it when it suits them.

In Conclusion: This is my personal attestation. It is not intended to compel anyone any which way. I only hope the Senate whose duty it is to confirm the nominations will look beyond the sentiments and see the benefits of this nomination to the much needed reforms in INEC. We cannot only be selfishly thinking of elections which happen every four years. The repositioning and strengthening of that critical democratic institution is equally vital for the growth of our democracy and that indeed is one of the President’s reasons for this particular nomination.

God Bless Nigeria.

– Dr Uche Diala