By Daniel Dafe
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State have reacted to reports making the rounds that said that the suspension order slammed on the chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lauretta Onochie by the executive committee of the All Progressive Congress in her ward has been nullified.
According to a statement on Monday signed by the Chairman and other executive members of Onicha Olona ward 4, she remains suspended and “her throwing money around will not nullify her suspension.”
Adding that “it was because of the one million naira Lauretta Onochie gave to Mathew Chinye the, APC LG chairman that made him to assemble people who are not members of the exco in ward 4 to give a statement that the suspension has been quashed,” saying that “it is a big lie.”
They continued: “On the day they released the fake nullification of suspension, the entire 27 members of the exco were at the residence of Chief Jerry Nkeweshe, the Owelle 1 Of Onicha Olona, our leader to celebrate the Easter with him for his kindhearted gesture towards members of the party since inception; but it was surprising that Matthew Chinye released a statement on social media and some few print media that Lauretta Onochie’s suspension has been squashed.
The statememt continued: “It is laughable because Matthew Chinye does not have such powers. He is not a member of the ward executive. How can he nullify what he does not know about?
“Lauretta Onochie remains suspended as far the ward is concerned. I’m the chairman of the ward and as you can see, these are the 27 executive members. So who are the people that nullified the suspension?”
The Chairman and Secretary of the Ward. Mr Peter Ogbolu and Mrs Amagor Justina Akaeze respectively insisted that the report by Mathew Chinye that said the suspension was squashed was fake news and cannot stand because they don’t have such powers.
According to the said statement on Monday jointly signed, they said that Onochie is “just fighting to secure her position as NDDC Chairperson in the Tinubu administration.”
“She worked against Tinubu and APC in the just concluded elections. The statement continued: “Onochie simply got her family members to form a parallel exco to squash her suspension using Mathew Chinye,” they.added.
They said that “with Lauretta Onochie’s presidential ward 4 Unit 8, Results of APC 16, PDP 27 and LP 38, it is obvious that she is APC in the day and loyal to opposition parties at night.Onochie is full of lies and does not attend any ward meetings of the APC,” they said.
They thus called on party faithful and the public to disregard the said publication because she remains suspended till further notice.
Recall that Onochie, was suspended by her ward 04 executive committee in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State for anti-party activities and misconduct.