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Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia.
The youth wing of Ohaneze Ndigbo, apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze has cautioned the All Progressive Congress (APC) against sidelining Igbo in selecting leaders of the ninth National Assembly.
It said it was “a big insult and affront” that the South-East zone is not in the consideration of the party for any key principal position in the ninth National Assembly.
Deputy National Youth Leader of Ohanaeze, Dr. Kingsley Dozie, who spoke to journalists in Umuahia, Abia State, frowned at the non-inclusion of South East on the list of zones to produce presiding officers of the ninth Assembly.
He said Igbo youths were aware that APC leadership backed by the Presidency had endorsed Ahmed Lawan (North East) for senate president and Femi Gbajabiamila (South West) for the Speaker House of Representatives.
“We query the justification in zoning the presiding officers of the National Assembly to regions that already have a fair share.
“We contend that since the president and vice president came from the North and West respectively, justice and equity demand that either the senate president or speaker of the House of Representatives should come from South East.
“Since APC has already zoned the senate presidency to North East and the deputy to South South, South East should be allowed to produce speaker of the House of Representatives.
“If they say we have no ranking senator from their party will they also say we don’t have qualified APC members in the House of Representatives where one of them is returned for the fourth term in the name of Mrs. Onyejeocha? Nigeria stands on the tripod of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, hence the distribution of political offices should reflect this equilibrium without excluding any tribe.”
The group said APC’s plans to exclude South East from Nigeria’s project and power bloc and relegate Igbo to the background would be resisted.
“Ndigbo are not visitors in Nigeria and not second class in the Nigeria project. We cannot be treated as such. We are not slaves and can never be. Nigeria belongs to us all and this is a fact everybody must learn to live with.”
