Expediency of Izunaso, South East’s quest for Senate Presidency

As jostling for leadership positions in the 10th Assembly intensifies, with groups and individuals across the various sub-regions canvassing for support, interests from the South East have also registered their intents.

One of such interests is Senator Osita Izunaso (OFR), the Senator-Elect representing Imo West. A committed patriot and nationalist, core party man and administrator, journalist and lawyer, Senator Izunaso, with his rich political experience, has declared interest in being President of the 10th Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly.

Earlier this month, Izunaso met with President Muhammadu Buhari during which he presented his certificate of return as Senator-elect of Imo West constituency and also informed him of his interest in the top leadership position in the Senate.

Izunaso graduated from the University of Jos in 1989 with a degree in Political Science and bagged a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the University of Abuja in 1998. He added a Masters in Business Administration from University of Calabar.

His quest for knowledge and personal development later led him to study Law at the Nile University, Abuja where he graduated with a First Class Honours. He graduated from the Nigeria Law School, Abuja Campus, with a Second Class Upper before going ahead to bag a Masters Degree in Law.

Senator Izunaso has a unique credential that no federal legislator past and present in Nigeria can boast of. He is the only person in Nigeria’s history to have ever worked as a staff of the two chambers of the National Assembly and later served in both chambers as elected representative of the people. In 1992, he worked as the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of House of Representatives, Agunwa Anakwe. He also served as the Chief Press Secretary to Senate President, Chief Evans Nwerem with the return of the civilian administration in 1999.

He had earlier served as Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Chief Jim Nwobodo from 1995-97 and retained the same position with the Minister of Labour and Productivity (1998-1999).

By the time the 10th NASS will open on June 10, 2023, Izunaso will be the most ranking Federal lawmaker and Senator from South-East and South-South. He was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2003 and later into the Senate in 2007. He was a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) since 2013 and member of the merger committee of the then opposition parties that formed the APC.

Senator Izunaso served as Interim National Organising Secretary of APC and was elected National Organising Secretary from 2013 to 2014. He was a member of APC NEC from 2014 to 2018, among other party leadership positions. Between 2018 and 2023, he served as Chairman of many party committees and sub-committees, including the 2014 Convention Planning Committee, North-Central Zone Party Registration and Revalidation Committee in 2020, and Director, Presidential Campaign Council, Contact and Mobilisation for South-East for the 2023 presidential election.

At the Red Chamber of the National Assembly, he served as Chairman of Committees and member of others; ranging from Rules and Business, Local and Foreign Debts, Housing, Gas, Foreign Affairs and Sports Development. He also sponsored many bills and led debates during plenary sessions.

Senator Izunaso has also served as Board Chairman, National Automative Design and Development Council. As a philanthropist and humanitarian, he founded Kpakpando Foundation for Persons living with disabilities since 2009.

Why The South East
The just concluded general elections produced a unique political outcome at the national level with a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket that was thought impossible again since the first botched attempt in 1993 when the late Chief MKO Abiola of Social Democratic Party and his running mate, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe were elected in an election that was later annulled by the Military Junta of General Ibrahim Babangida (Rtd.).

With the incoming presidency of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima, the two topmost political offices in Nigeria have been taken by the South West and North East. As such, political expediency, quest for national stability and cohesion dictates that the number three political position and the head of the legislative arm of government should go to the South East.

Historically, the Nigeria federation has always rested on the tripod of three dominant ethnic groups of Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo. Under the current political dispensation, the Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani, which now include Kanuri, have produced the President and the Vice President.

The imperative of political inclusiveness and arresting the agitation for Biafra in the South East, especially among the young people who have been misled into the nefarious activities by IPOB/ESN, support the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the zone.

Also, having not produced the president of Nigeria since independence except for the six-month stint of General Aguiyi Ironsi as Military Head of State in 1966, the intense Igbo sentiment against political exclusion and marginalisation in Nigeria seems justified.

The post-May 29, 2023 leadership of two out of the three arms of government presents a unique dilemma for the country. The President as the head of the Executive arm and government will be a Yoruba-Muslim and the Head of Judiciary will remain another Yoruba-Muslim.

To dilute this equation, political observers and analysts have advocated the need for a strong Igbo patriot who will also be a Christian. The South-South geopolitical Zone has served as Vice President and President for a combined period of eight years since the return of civil rule in 1999. The North-West has produced the President twice with late President Umaru Yar’adua and outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, ditto for North-East that produced a Vice President in person of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from 1999-2007. The North-East has again retained the Vice Presidency. The most disadvantaged geopolitical zone in Nigeria since 1960 remains the South-East.

Aligning With President-elect’s Hope Mantra
Senator Izunaso has promised to rebrand the red chamber and lead the National Assembly in fulfilling the yearnings of Nigerians for renewed hope. The Imo-West senator-elect, in a chat, said he has acquired quality legislative experiences in both the lower and upper chambers to lead the National Assembly.

While noting that he is the youngest among the aspirants from the South, Izunaso, reiterated that he is also the most ranked. “I have the experience, education, character, and integrity to lead the Senate to fulfill the Renewed Hope mantra of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. That is why I have adopted the mantra ‘Hope Assured’. Nigerians need to start having trust in the National Assembly and I am that man who stands out with a proven record of integrity, patriotism, and loyalty,” he said.

Faulty Claims And Setting Records Straight About South East
Izunaso has faulted claims that the South East did not support the APC in the 2023 election, saying, “It is a faulty argument.” According to him, data shows that APC is the ruling party in the South East. “APC has two governors while LP, PDP, and APGA have one each. APC is also well-represented in the National Assembly. Out of the 15 senators from the zone, APC has 6; LP 6 while PDP, APGA, and YPP have one each.

“APC is making gains while PDP has been diminished in the South East; so, with the right support, the APC will take over the zone,” he said. Izunaso stated further: “Currently, the South-East has two APC governors in Imo and Ebonyi States while South South has only one APC Governor. The status will remain the same post-May 29 with APC retaining the governorship seat in Cross-Rivers. In the 10th NASS, South East will have 6 senators and 6 senators will come from the South-South too.

“In terms of political representation in APC, South South has benefited more than the South East since its formation. Chief John Oyegun and Comrade Adams Oshiomole have been National Chairman of APC while Senator John Akpan Udoedehe from Akwa-Ibom served as National Secretary of the APC.

“At the moment, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege from Delta State is the Deputy Senate President. It is politically wise to stop the Peter Obi and IPOB/ESN wave in the South East and the best way to achieve this is to have a man from the region in top three political positions and on order of protocols in Nigeria.”