Stop insulting Ndigbo over political positions, South-East youths warn APC


Tony Okafor, Awka



Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL) has warned the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop insulting the Igbo over political positions in the country.

The Igbo apex socio-political youth group who rejected the deputy speaker position of the House of Representatives zoned to the South-East, described it as an insult to South-East geopolitical zone.

Describing the process as a charade,
COSEYL said zoning of National Assembly principal positions wherein they micro-zoned the office of the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives to Benjamin Kalu, as a position meant for the South-East geopolitical zone was unacceptable to the youth of the area.

The group's statement Signed by its president general and publicity secretary, , Goodluck Ibem, Okey Nwaoru, respectively, read in part, "This charade by the APC is an insult to the political sensibility of Ndigbo and we reject it in its entirety, no matter those behind it, and will continue to reject it.

"The circumstances surrounding the emergence of Benjamin Kalu following the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections are still mired in a lot of controversies. There are still allegations in some quarters that the Labour Party candidate, Chief Iheanyi Frank Chinasa would have emerged but for the malfeasance of INEC officials in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.

"To make the whole picture clearer: on 25th of February, 2023, the Presidential and the National Assembly elections were conducted simultaneously. In Abia State, for example, Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, polled 327, 095 votes, whereas Ahmed Tinubu, the APC Presidential candidate got 8,914 votes, yet Benjamin Kalu the APC House of Reps candidate was controversially announced as the winner of Bende Federal Constituency with 10,020 votes while the Labour Party (LP) candidate scored 6,688 votes.

"Now the question begging for an answer is, how will the votes of entire Bende Local Government Area for Reps be higher than the presidential votes from the other 16 local government areas of the state in elections - presidential and parliamentary - that were conducted concurrently nationwide? Does this not expose the fraudulent and criminal act of a supposed honourable member involved in a dishonorable act and behaviour?

"The political landscape of Nigeria has a known trajectory, especially the South East, were voters vote massively for parties. How, COSEYL wonders, can a single local government outvote an entire state? This is the question Benjamin Kalu alone can answer.

"It is on record too that the APC hitherto had performed a poorly written script when it brought on board and sought to impose on the people an individual with fictitious identity and names which are: Benjamin Umunna, Benjamin Osisiogu and Benjamin Kalu to represent South East, just the same way the party rented fake bishops to represent the Christian Community in their clandestine move to give appearance of inclusion to the notion of illegality characterised by Muslim-Muslim ticket which was roundly rejected by Nigerians. Ndigbo cannot be reduced to such a level!

"Benjamin Kalu, it should be known, betrayed the APC Presidential Candidate Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the gubernatorial candidate of APC in Abia State Chief Ikechi Emenike which is evidence in the votes the APC got in Bende LGA and also betrayed his political boss, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu who picked him and gave him all the necessary support and assistance to be elected into the federal House of Representatives in 2019.

"While the political goal and aspiration of Ndigbo is beyond the post of the senate president, we cannot identify with a character like Benjamin Kalu, not to talk of endorsing him to represent the political interest of the entire South East as a federal parliamentarian holding the post of the Deputy Speaker.

"For emphasis, the Igbo are a major ethnic group in Nigeria, also one of the tripodal arrangement upon which the nation itself stands - going by the "WaZoBia" scheme. We cannot be reduced to the background by the APC-led Federal government, no matter the scheming or agenda.

The Igbo race, more than many other geopolitical zones in the nation, straddles one region (South East) and spans other regions too (South South and North Central) with sons and daughters scattered all over the 36 states within the federation. Other regions, barring the South West, have complex ethnic makeups and minorities. In the North, whether east, west or central, there are the Fulani, the Hausa and usually other minorities all claiming each of the entire three zones as home.

"The South South itself is made up of the Ijaws, Ibibio, Anangs, Ogonis, Itshekiri, just to mention but a few (of its constituent ethnic nationalities). How can a region like the South-East, with its homogeneous makeup, be relegated when it came to sharing the spoils if not for the phobia APC has about the Igbo nation, which the party has continued to uphold through the Buhari calamitous presidency, and which may likely be repeated by a Bola Ahmed Tinubu presidency? What respect does the APC have or show towards its foundation members of South East extraction like Dr. Ogbonnaya Ọnụ, who registered the APC as a political party, Rochas Anayo Okorocha and others?

Continuing, the group added:
The post of a Deputy Speaker is beneath the political aspiration of Ndigbo and we reject and shall continue to resist it. We call on well-meaning sons and daughters of Igboland to disregard the endorsement of Benjamin Kalu by one individual called Okwu Nnabuife who parades himself as the President of Ohanaeze Youth Council. Ohanaeze have made their position and stance known heretofore that they are solidly behind Mr Peter Obi, so any other statement emanating from any quarters that jeopardizes Peter Obi's chances of reclaiming his mandate is unacceptable and incongruous with the Igbo aspiration.

Peter Obi, from our projections and findings, won the 2023 presidential election which is the number one office in the land. It is a shame, not only to INEC but to those the Commission declared and returned as winners, that the results currently uploading to the IRev show that INEC is not and can never be a reliable or neutral umpire. It is only a misfit, an outcast and a sellout that will throw away a mandate the entire nation gave his region just to accept the office of the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives which is the 7th position in the country's hierarchy of political power and offices. It reminds us of the saying by Achebe that only bastards point to their fathers house (obi) using the left finger. That deputy speakership post is a mess of a pottage, an Infra dig.

Having stated the above, we remain steadfast in the Peter Obi project and call on all political forces of the APC using phantom characters and phoney groups to factionlaise the Labour Party in order to minimize Obi's legal chances to desist from their hollow shenanigans. We assure them and those supporting them that victory is certain and sure as we call on all Igbo and other Nigerians to not give up on the Obi mandate until the court awards the final judgement. Nigeria is our nation, and nobody, whether individual or group, can relegate the Igbo to the background.

To those who wish to feed from crumbs and mess of pottage Bourdilon or Abuja continues to serve while trading off their own region, your political days are numbered.

Mumu coalition, south east should beg for deputy whip in both chambers. Speaker and deputy, Senate president and deputy are too big for south east for now

Nzogbu nzogbu in the mud 😁😬😬😬

These people have abandoned their ultimate search for the stolen mandate ni? You can not sow Corn 🌽 and be expecting to harvest cassava. They should ask Eluup for Senate presidency. ENKR

Are they tired of searching for their stolem mandates?😂😂😂😂

It is well bikonu

If you don't want deputy speaker, House of reps, then nothing for you people.. APC will settke the correct geopolitical zones that delivered first before the antagonists.

Story for the gods. If you don’t want deputy speaker, we will give it to the north central who are even more deserving of the position.

with all honesty, Did Igbo even deserve anything in APC administration

Werey people

Peter Pandora obituary is a thief

Southeast youth or Ipob youth.?

seunmsg:
Story for the gods. If you don’t want deputy speaker, we will give it to the north central who are even more deserving of the position.

😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝🧐
O wa doju e o! Power trip le leyi o! And your ass can't even go near Bourdillon not to talk of Aso Rock.

Exactly

Give your positions and appointments to anybody you feel like giving it to...
If you like give it to people from Guinea or Niger
We don't care

Just let us be

khalling2008:
Southeast youth or Ipob youth.?

Any one....

Just let us be

SwissMass:
with all honesty, Did Igbo even deserve anything in APC administration

Yes we don't deserve anything

Do we give a fxck

No we don't!

yarimo:
Mumu coalition, south east should beg for deputy whip in both chambers. Speaker and deputy, Senate president and deputy are too big for south east for now

Shut that gutter you call mouth. I read what the coalition wrote and they're 💯 right!

The criminal drug lord would definitely end up like Abiola and nothing will happen!

proeast:


Shut that gutter you call mouth. I read what the coalition wrote and they're 💯 right!

The criminal drug lord would definitely end up like Abiola and nothing will happen!

south east should beg for deputy whip in both chambers that is all

This is the boldness they are afraid of. You can never see us @ss licking. For all we care, they should shove those positions up their dirty @ss!

yarimo:
south east should beg for deputy whip in both chambers that is all

Take your rubbish deputy and shove it into your anus, we don't need it.