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Reps Speakership: APC Should Not Ignore South South

By Terhemba Daka,
26 April 2015   |   9:20 am
As the All Progressive Congress (APC) meets to decide on how to share key leadership positions in the National Assembly, an advocacy group under the auspices of Coalition for Justice and Fairness (CJF) has warned the party on the dangers of excluding the South South geo-political zone from its zoning formula, specifically the Speakership of the House of Representatives.

APC-LOGOAs the All Progressive Congress (APC) meets to decide on how to share key leadership positions in the National Assembly, an advocacy group under the auspices of Coalition for Justice and Fairness (CJF) has warned the party on the dangers of excluding the South South geo-political zone from its zoning formula, specifically the Speakership of the House of Representatives.

With the incoming APC administration already having the president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari from the North West and the vice president-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo from the South West, CJF has raised the alarm over reports of the APC zoning the National Assembly leadership to the North East and South West regions, by implication excluding the South South and South East geo-political regions.

In a statement signed by its convener, Muraina Ahmed, the group warned that the exclusion of the zones would negate the Federal character principle as enunciated in Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution.

The statement read: “For the records, the APC as the majority party has the conventional privilege to zone the offices of Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“The knotty issue that will test APC’s abhorrence of impunity, which was one of the major reasons Nigerians voted for the party, is the zoning of the listed leadership offices in the National Assembly.

“To be fair, there are extenuating circumstances that may hamper the even spread of Legislative Offices enumerated above to all the six zones in Nigeria. For instance, the South East has no APC senator at all and has not produced any ranking APC member of the House of Representatives. The South South has one Senator, who is a fresher and does not meet the ranking criterion. But the South South has four members-elect for the House of Representatives, two of whom are ranking, with one of them, Hon. Pally Iriase parading impeccable credentials and legislative leadership experience.

“This is a golden opportunity‎ that the APC must not miss. In the spirit of fairness and adherence of Federal character, the position of Speaker, House of Representatives should be zoned to the South South geo-political zone.

“There are dangers in deliberately shutting out the South South from the Speakership of the House of Representatives for the following reasons:

“The South South lost the Presidency and if APC fails to be magnanimous in victory, but embarks on vendetta by denying the zone the opportunity to produce Speaker, the government may unwittingly start on a controversial way in the minds of discerning Nigerians. In national interest, Nigeria does not need a return of the Niger Delta militancy and agitation witnessed in years past, following brazen cases of marginalisation.

“Nigeria just witnessed a very divisive campaign and the scars need quick healing and if APC brazenly fails to use the opportunity presented by the Representatives from the South South to build bridges that may very well help to ultimately bring the South South and even South East into the fold, there will be negative perception with far reaching consequences.

“Flouting Section 14 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will be viewed by many Nigerians as an act of impunity which APC promised to change and for which Nigerians gave the party the mandate to govern,” the group said.

4 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    The scenario really presents the APC with a litmus test at political sagacity and how well the party means for the country. How the party handles the looming exclusion of two important regions from its government will be a testament to its maturity and sincerity at good governance for the nation. Otherwise, it may only just be that the ides of March are come, but not yet gone; it may well be that 2015 doomsday prophets may yet have the last laugh.

  • Author’s gravatar

    What happened when Jonathan appointed SS/SE people to majority of political offices? Nothing. So, stop this nonsense about people that miscalculated with their votes. SS/SE will surely get political appointments, but not the Speakership

  • Author’s gravatar

    APC learn from the mistakes of PDP and do away with all these zoning altogether and let the best in accordance with internal democracy be elected by their peers for the various positions. APC did this with the Presidential candidate and know how to handle this very well, so why resort back to zoning – which is definitely not the best arrangement.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Nigerians are watching APC with keen interest as the go ahead to fulfill what they have been repeatedly criticized as regional party, with regional interest, divisional party that does not care about d unity of Nigeria,,,desperate people who all they care about Nigeria is how to share positions and not about equity, fairplay and unity of Nigeria,,,,,Let them go ahead and share positions without respect for other nationalities that make up the entity,,,,,,,they will be delusional to do so and think that there will be relative peace in Nigeria from those other nationalities they schemed out,,,,hahaha wishful thinking indeed,,,,,,nah,,,PDP was all about fairplay and they carried other regions along,,,It was Tinubu and APC including Tambuwal that conspired and denied south west their speakership position zoned to them,,,,,PDP believes in fair play and APC all they care is how to share positions and oil blocks and not how to create equity in d system and move Nigeria forward,,,we are watching and I forsee more ethnic militias rising up within the next two years worse than we experienced under Jonathan,,,,,Buhari should be ready to kill all Nigerians,,,,this is democracy babe,,,,