Yesterday, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council (OYC) took part in the debate regarding the zoning of principal positions in the 10th National Assembly. As part of their intervention, they urged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to disregard the statement made by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
You may recall that the APC designated the South East region as the zone for the position of Deputy Speaker, with Benjamin Kalu, a native of Abia State, being the preferred candidate.
However, Orji Kalu, a former governor of the state who is currently campaigning to become the next President of the Senate, is adamant that the region deserves a higher position than just the Deputy Speaker.
In response to the event, the OYC issued a statement through its National President, Okwu Nnabuike, in which it urged Orji Kalu not to put the interests of the region in jeopardy by hiding behind anonymous groups in order to make statements that serve only his own interests.
Nnabuike asserted that several nameless groups had been established for the purpose of destroying what is going to come to the region, and he made the following observation about these groups’ strategy: “Their game plan is that unless it is coming to Orji Kalu, it should not come.”
The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization stated that the decision to nominate Kalu for the position of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives was based on merit, while also praising the All Progressives Congress and the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, for making the nomination.
The following is an excerpt from the statement that was released: “The reason why Ben Kalu’s nomination is justified is because of his numerous works and capabilities that have been shown in 43 bills and 22 motions, as well as two laws signed by the president, making him the highest among his mates, especially those contesting.”
In the meantime, a coalition of organizations representing civil society has voiced their opposition to Ben Kalu’s nomination.
In spite of the fact that it applauded the fact that the South East was being considered for this position, the coalition demanded that the APC micro-zone the position to Ebonyi State.
You may recall that Kalu, a lawmaker who represents the Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State, was nominated by the APC National Working Committee (NWC), along with Abbas Tajudeen, who was adopted by the party as Speaker. Tajudeen was nominated alongside Kalu.
Yesterday, while speaking to journalists in Abuja, the organization’s National Coordinator, Victor Kalu, urged the leaders of the APC to take into consideration the enormous contribution that Ebonyi State has made to the growth of the APC in the South East.
The organization issued the following statement in response to the question: “We call on the leadership of the APC to allow stakeholders of the party, as well as members-elect, to decide who is best qualified to represent the zone in that capacity.” If they are going to be fair, then they need to think about the Ebonyi members-elect as a reward for the hard work and dedication that they have shown to the party.
