As Nigerians await the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly, youths of Igbo extraction have urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership to zone the position of Senate President to the South East in the spirit of national unity.
According to the National Coordinator of the apolitical group, Comrade Ndukwe Tabansi, over the years, Ndigbo had been short-changed in leadership positions at the federal level.
He condemned calls in some quarters that the Senate President of the 9th National Assembly should be zoned to the North, stressing that it will be unfair, unpatriotic and selfish if the South East is not allowed to produce the Senate President, adding that the North and South have produced the President and Vice President respectively following the last presidential election.
While calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to anoint a Senate President from the South East, Tabansi added that Ndigbo will continue to appreciate the President’s efforts in correcting the anomalies of the previous administrations, noting that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable.
Addressing Igbo stakeholders under the auspices of South East Youth Movement (SEYM) in Onitsha at the weekend, Tabansi assured the youths that the APC leadership will be fair and patriotic in their decision on the zoning of the position of Senate President.
He said, “ Ahead of the inauguration of the 9th session of the national assembly, the political class must be patriotic in the choosing the Senate President. It shouldn’t be a matter of discussion but a concluded decision to zone the position of Senate President to the South East in view of the current situation.
“The President and Vice President are from the North and South respectively. It is only Ndigbo that is left out.
“ We are optimistic that President Buhari will consider our plight and address the marginalisation of the South East.
“ Nigeria is one and no tribe should be sidelined in national polity”
Tabansi, while calling on former Presidents, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to consider the plight of Ndigbo, stressed that the people of the South East have contributed immensely to national development in different ways.
The coordinator appealed to Igbo sons and daughters across the globe to be calm, steadfast and law-abiding, noting that their grievances will be addressed by the President.