9th Assembly: South-East APC insists on speakership position

By Tunde Opalana, Abuja 

A group of principal stakeholders and accomplished personalities from the South East zone under the umbrella of South East Alliance has insisted that the position of House of Representatives speaker be zoned to the region.

The group said it will be fair in the spirit of justice and equity for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to give the position to the South East.

The South East Alliance stated that if indeed, the federal character principle is an indelible part of the constitution, then it must find expression in the composition of presiding officers of the ninth National Assembly.

Addressing the press at the APC national secretariat in Abuja on Friday, Director of Media and Publicity for the group, Kingsley Ononuju, disclosed that the group has spoken with the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomole at a meeting on the need to consider the zone in the sharing of positions.

Hr said it was common knowledge that in the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the South East did not head any of the three arms of government despite the fact that it is part of Nigeria’s majority tripod.

According to him, even though the group was not holding Buhari responsible for the equity shortfall given the fact that he does not control the affairs of the National Assembly, the group is of the view that the President can direct the leadership of the party to advise elected National Assembly members to ensure equity prevails in the distribution of positions, especially now that the APC won the required votes in the South-east.

Ononuju argued that since the South West has the second highest office in the land, it would only be only proper that the position of the speaker be zoned to the South East, adding that “otherwise, it will be gross exclusion and highest level of insensitivity, condemnable, unconscionable and totally unacceptable.

“The South East Equity Alliance is opposed to injustice and greed with much vehemence and views anyone moving in that direction as an enemy of a united and equitable Nigeria.

“If that should happen, it means that Nigeria belongs to certain ethnic groups, while the rest of the people are their political subjects and this will not augur well for national cohesion.”