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Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Ahead of the inauguration of the Ninth National Assembly in June, the North Central caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the House of Representatives, has appealed to the national leadership of the party to cede the speakership to the zone.
The caucus, which made the appeal, yesterday, at a press briefing in Abuja, said it was imperative for the speaker to come from the North Central; in the interest of equity and fair play.
John Dyegh, who spoke on behalf of the caucus, said the lawmakers appreciate the supremacy of the APC leadership in determining the zoning of offices in the Ninth National Assembly but noted that ceding the speakership position to the North Central would advance equity in distribution of positions in the country, especially as the North West and South West have already produced the president and vice president, respectively.
According to him, it is not a coincidence that the 1999 Constitution ( as amended) provides for federal character in the distribution of offices and leadership in the country.
“We note that apart from the North West and the North East, the North Central delivered handsomely for the party, in the general election, and, as such, needs to be rewarded for the hardwork and loyalty.
“The need to ensure balance and spread, between and among the six geo-political zones, has made it imperative to give prime consideration to the North Central zone to produce the position of speaker.
“Being the zone with delicate and peculiar location and challenges within the Federation, it is of utmost importance to carry us along in the hierarchy of power distribution in the country, as this would in no small measure, help in stabilizing the polity,” the lawmaker stated.
He added that the geo-political zone is mindful that the circumstances that surrounded the emergence of leaders of the House, in previous assemblies, can provide a guide for the APC leadership to avoid the pitfalls of the past.
