NASS: South South seeks support for speakership

AKHERE Godwin, Benin

A group, the South South Equity Forum, has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to cede the speakership position of the House of Representatives to the zone.

The group, while making this demand under the leadership of Mr Harrison Omagbon, at a press conference in Benin, noted that it would only be fair for the position to be zoned to the South South since the South West and North West already had positions of President and Vice President respectively.

They also said the appeal became necessary since the North East or North Central would have the senate president zone to them.

Omagbon, said “In the spirit of give and take and in the interest of inclusive governance, and by every standard, considering the zone’s economic importance for it to be factored into the distribution of high political offices.

“This will further suppress opportunistic agitation, part of which led to the Niger Delta militancy.”

He urged the leadership of APC to heed the warning of the Kano state Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso who echoed performance as one of the bases for consideration in terms of posts allocation in the interest of party solidarity.

“Of course performance is an issue but even those that didn’t perform as much as others need to be encouraged.

“The APC as a party can ill-afford the crisis that will arise from the mismanagement of her victory which was the same reason the PDP roundly lost the elections across the country,” he stated.

The group however said in considering the zone for the position of speakership, a two-time member of the House, Mr Pally Iriase should be considered.

“In the last presidential election, In spite of the military brutality against the APC leadership and the virtual arrest of the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, Edo is where Gen. Buhari scored 45 per cent votes which is above the mandatory 25 per cent required by the constitution.

“It is in this context we are calling on the leadership of our party to consider the person of Iriase.

“He is a chartered accountant, a former ALGON chairman for Edo State, a former Deputy Speaker of the state assembly, a former secretary to the state government and a two-time member of the House of Representatives,” he posited.