The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council (OYC), yesterday, described the attacks on the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, over the composition of board members of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) as unnecessary. 
   
The appointments, announced by President Bola Tinubu, have stirred opposition, particularly from the South-East chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, accusing the Deputy Speaker of influencing the appointments in a manner that allegedly violated the SEDC Act.
  
While reacting to the development in a statement, the National President of OYC, Okwu Nnabuike, described the criticisms as selfish and baseless. 
  
He emphasised that the majority of Ndigbo are satisfied with the appointments, noting that it was inclusive of all five South-East states.
  
He said: “The majority of the Igbo are happy with the nomination from the President and looking forward to working with these ones that will bring development strides of the President to the grassroots without anyone hijacking the credit. 
  
“Those aggrieved should establish their state development commission like Abia and other states did and leave the President alone to do his job.
  
“We, therefore, urge the Senate to kindly screen and approve them as soon as possible because there is a lot of work to be done and the budget is around the corner, as any delay will cause the Igbo a lot.”
  
The youth organisation said the vast majority of Ndigbo are pleased with the list, urging the Senate to approve it as quickly as possible.

HOWEVER, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has backed the position of the South-East APC on the composition of the board and management of the SEDC.     The group emphasised the need for equitable representation across the South-East states in line with the provisions of the Act establishing the Commission.
   
National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, expressed concern over recent appointments, especially for excluding some South-East states. 
Onwubiko reiterated that the Commission was established to address the peculiar developmental challenges of the region and must operate inclusively to achieve its mandate.
   
According to the South-East APC, the SEDC Act stipulates that the Chairman of the Board should be appointed on a rotational basis among the South-East states, starting with Abia State, while other board members should include indigenes from each of the five states: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo. 
  
However, the group said it has been observed that the current appointments disproportionately favour certain states, leaving others unrepresented.
  
The APC National Vice Chairman for the South East, Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, in a letter addressed to President BolaTinubu, commended the appointment of the board members. However, he highlighted significant deviations from the Act, pointing out that while Abia State received the Chairmanship position, other key positions, such as the Managing Director (MD) and an Executive Director (ED), were allocated to Anambra State, leaving Imo and Ebonyi states without representation.