APC And S/East NASS Leadership Question

Barely five days to the proclamation of the 9th National Assembly, the issue of who gets what as principal officers, particularly, in the House of Representatives, has been a major political nightmare for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) being a party with the highest number of lawmakers-elect.

Expectedly, the run-up has so far witnessed extensive political horse-trading within the party’s top brass holding marathon and nucturnal meetings to decide where the pendulum should swing.

Pundits observed that every geo-political zone in the country has been making a case on the need for their zones to occupy the leadership of the 9th House of Representatives.

Although it was reported that the party had announced its can­di­date for the position of the Speaker, analysts question the rationale behind it without putting into consideration any representation from the South East. They are of the opinion that since the North East, North Central and South West zones are being talked about, the South East zone of the country is being marginalised.

Observers who advised the party to factor in the South East in its calculations also reminded the party that the zone is a critical segment of the country which the party can only ignore at its own peril.

They noted that since the President of the country emerged from the North West, the Vice President from the South West, the anointed candidate for the position of the Senate President from the North East, the Chairman of the party from the South-south, ordinarily, the House of Representatives’ Speaker should go to the South East zone part of the country.

Some of the analysts who spoke with LEADERSHIP opined that the party should not consider anybody from the Southwest again to aspire to be the speaker of the House of Representatives, from the fact that the zone produced the vice president. They noted that if this should happen, the country will be in a political set-up where the South West est will produce both the vice president and the speaker of the House of Representatives while the south east will produce none.

Although some people believe that because the party had a poor showing in the presidential and national assembly elections in the zone, analysts warned that the party if not careful, could slide into a sectional and minority party in the foreseeable future if it does not purge itself of regionalism and parochialism.

For this reason, Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba, from the South East has declared his intention to be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Analysts said that since the South West has produced the Vice President; for equity, justice, and fair representation, the South East should be given the Speaker of the House of Representatives and in that zone, Nwajiuba deserves to be in the position due to his vast experience and educational qualification as a Ph.D. holder.

At the same time, Nwajiuba who called on the national leadership of APC to consider the South East in the zoning of principal offices especially the Speakership position, said, the zone deserves the position considering that his party, APC, has made great progress in 2019 than in 2015 and that zoning such a position to it will lead to national stability, inclusiveness, and consolidation of the APC in the South East.

It would be also be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari in 2003 ran with Okadigbo on the All Peoples Party, APP platform. It was also believed that President Buhari has a long history with Igbo people, hence Nwajiuba’s emergence as Speaker will boost APC popularity in the South East, they submitted.

However, LEADERSHIP gathered that Hon. Emeka Nwajuiba from Imo state, who is also a close ally of President Muhammadu Buhari had stepped up his campaign for the Speakership last night with presentations before APC members-elect and those of other political parties.

Already, the South-east Equity Alliance headed by a former commissioner in Imo State, Dr. Orikeze Ajumbe and the Chuba Okadigbo Rainbow Organisation ation led by Dr. James Okoroma has joined the campaign for the emergence of Hon. Nwajiuba as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the National Chairman of the Chuba Okadigbo Rainbow Organization, Okoroma said that Hon. Nwajiuba’s election as speaker would give the South-East a sense of belonging in the country.

He said that any arrangement in the National Assembly that excludes the South-East would generate feelings of Igbo marginalization. He appealed to the National leadership of APC led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to balance the polity by ensuring that all ethnic nationalities are represented in the sharing of leadership positions to curb restiveness.

He added that since the South west has produced the vice president, the South-East should also be allowed to produce the speaker for fairness and balance. He further expressed the view that the race for the speakership should be left to the South-East and the North-Central which appear shortchanged now at the topmost level of the Nation’s Political Leadership.

Source: Leadership NG