It’s just
fair to cede senate president to
the East – UPP chair
Following the flashpoints ahead of the inauguration of the
Ninth Assembly in June, the National Chairman of the United People’s Party
(UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has said that it is only fair to ensure that the
seat of the senate president should be ceded to the East.
Chief Chekwas Okorie, as well as the former executive
chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, and
former commissioner for Information in Imo State, Nze Elvis Agukwe, in separate
interviews with Daily Sun, said zoning of the senate presidency to the South
East would be a soothing balm to the frayed nerves of the people of the region.
Okorie said: “Any person with any sense of proportion,
equity and fair play would not need to be lobbied to know that it’s just fair
and equitable that the senate presidency should go to the South East and the
speaker of the House of Representatives to the North; the North East can have
that. They already have it in Yakubu Dogara; maybe another person can now have
it.”
Asked whether the senate rules, regarding ranking would not
come to play, Okorie replied: “No! As one of the APC senators-elect, former
Abia State governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, is a ranking member of the National
Assembly, having been a member of the House of Representatives in the aborted
third republic.”
He said what is required at the moment is political
expediency, as going to the very strict definition of ranking would clearly
exclude a people.
“When you talk of ranking; you must consider, too, that Kalu
had been in the House of Representatives. After that, he had been a two-term
governor. So, there are certain political exigencies that we have to bear.
There are certain rules that we would be strict about, then, you know, ab nitio
that you want to exclude some people. After all, we have seen situations where
Assistant Inspector Generals were promoted to Inspector Generals; after certain
considerations.”
On his part, Amadi said APC South East leaders worked so
hard in the face of the stiff opposition they encountered from the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) stronghold and succeeded in securing 25 per cent for
President Muhammadu Buhari; in at least three states.
“What this means, he said, is that, “if, in 2015, the senate
presidency was reserved for Igbo, then, this year, it should be reserved for
them. Most importantly, Igbo would want to be included in government, working
with the president to solve some of the problems bedevilling the nation. This
is not the time to isolate ourselves from government. Igbo should be part of
government, to help the president, who, so to say, is the last of the titans to
deliver. He now has another chance to govern the country…
“Not just mere tokenism positions; they want to be included
in seriously finding solutions to the problems in this country. So, the senate
president position or nothing less than the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation is what Igbo in APC deserve. They need to be part of the policy;
policy advisers and all that because they really worked under too much
difficulty and opposition, especially in the context of the PDP stronghold in
the South East before now and Peter Obi’s position in the zone.
“APC members in the South East really worked hard and
deserve to be part of every rejoicing; every work and governance in this
administration.”
Tags:
UPP chair