Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the premier Igbo socio-cultural organization, has denounced the All Progressives Congress (APC) move to zone the office of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to the South-East.
As the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration debate who would become what in the National Assembly, Ohanaeze called the ruling party’s leadership decision to zone the deputy speakership to Igbo “extremely offensive, repulsive, and provocative to Igbo culture.”
According to rumours, the APC is in favour of Barau Jibril serving as Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s deputy. The positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives have been assigned to Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, respectively.
According to a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, the group opposed the decision to limit the South-East to hold the House’s second-highest seat.
“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has watched with grave concern the zoning of principal officers of the Senate and House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Ohanaeze stated.
We have also noted that the South East of Nigeria has been allocated by the All Peoples Congress (APC) for the position of deputy speaker.
“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo states that allocating the position of deputy speaker to the South East is highly unreflective, disgusting, and provocative to the Igbo.”
Then it instructed all Igbo-born federal lawmakers in Nigeria to cast their votes for the National Assembly’s top officials in the manner they deemed appropriate.
To achieve this, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, under the leadership of Chief Engr. Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, CFR (Ahaejiagamba), issues a directive to all Igbo legislators in the 10th National Assembly to cast their votes independently of their state, religion, or ethnicity.