BY: Ikenna Oluka
Johnbosco Agbakwuru As the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, zones national assembly leadership positions to geopolitical zones, the Igbo Good Governance Forum, IGGF, has lamented that the ruling party does not have anything out of the six positions for the South East.
The Coordinator of the group, Onyema Udohirinwa told Vanguard that like what happened in 2015, APC leadership does not consider the South East in the six political positions.
According to him, “Out of the six positions, the North West has taken the position of President through President Muhammadu Buhari, the South West is occupying the vice president position through the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo. Equity and fairness require that the remaining four positions; the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker should be shared amongst the North East, South South, South East and North Central.
“Unfortunately from the body language of Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee, NWC, it is clear that there is no consideration for the South East to occupy any of the remaining four positions.
“This is exactly some of the things that fuel agitations in the country when a group of people believe that the South East should not be reckoned with. This is unfortunate and does not show in any way that the APC is a democratic and national party.
“In 2015, the reason why the South East was not considered for any of the six positions was that the party said that there was no member of the APC elected in the national assembly from the zone. But this time around, the zone has ranking members for the ninth national assembly, unfortunately, the party is not considering the zone in the power-sharing formula.”
The IGGF noted that it was a herculean task for someone from the APC in the South East to win election in the zone that is dominated by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, unlike in the North or some part of the South West.
“The APC is telling its members from the South East that passed through difficulties to win elections that their efforts do not matter at all.
“Someone like Honourable Chike Okafor who has indicated interest in contesting the position of Speaker of the ninth House of Representatives has the pre-requisite qualifications to lead the green chamber.
“The PDP is dominating in the South East because the party zones some of the key position to the zone to give the people the sense of belonging. I believe the APC will do better in the zone if the people are carried along.
“Chike Okafor showed commitment and determination in ensuring that APC was not relegated the background and it is expected that he should be compensated having been denied of any of the positions in 2015.”
The group also claimed that lack of strict observance of the federal character as enshrined in the constitution; equity and fair play in the distribution of positions in the country contributed the restiveness that is witnessed in the South East and South South.
“We believe that the APC should correct its mistakes and carry the South East along in its power equation. The South East should not be relegated to the background as it is being witnessed now.”