VANGUARD
The president-elect’s campaign spokesman in the southeast, Dr Josef Onoh has told the President-elect to prioritize the release of Nnamdi Kanu than conceding the position of the President of the Senate to the South East zone.
Onoh argued that the southeast had held the position of the President of the Senate and rotated it among states in the region but gained nothing other than acrimony and bad politics.
He rather suggested that the position should be zoned to the South-south region which has not held it since 1999, stating that in zoning it to the south-south region, it should be particularized to the Edo-North Senator-elect, Comrade Adams Oshomohle, whom he said has better capacity to manage the position Senate Presidency.
Onoh, therefore, pleaded with the clerk of the Senate to ignore its standing rule to make it possible for first-time Senators who have held critical positions that equipped them for assignments such as the management of the National Assembly.
He said that the Clerk should ignore the Standing order, as it’s a breach of Constitutional equality and conduct an election as the Constitution guarantees equality of constituencies and inherently senators.
He took objection to claims by some individuals claiming that it was their turn to become Senate President, noting that such a position was nobody’s turn but the turn of one with an untainted and meritorious track record such as Adams Oshiomole or any other qualified senator from the south – south the All Progressives Congress (APC) hierarchy may deem fit.
Onoh said: “Even though I’m not in support and will never support Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s method of operation and the pain the actions of IPOB have caused Nigerians which warranted the federal government to take proactive measures on him and his organization, I’m urging the President-elect that the release of Nnamdi Kanu is more important to us than Senate Presidency.
“What the southeast needs are economic growth, security and development and since Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest and detention a sit-at-home was declared which has crippled the economic stability and growth in the southeast. Criminal elements are now hiding under the guise of IPOB to create security instability in the southeast which currently has overwhelmed the entire southeast governors and residents alike.
“So it does not arise for persons from the southeast to be clamouring for the position of Senate President, let alone saying ‘it’s my turn’. While his zone is under heavy security threat and economic suffocation.
“We’ve held the position for eight years and it benefited us nothing. What we need is economic prosperity and growth as the President-elect promised us. I plead and urge for the release of Nnamdi Kanu while he attends his trial from home and it will help to end the sit-at-home and security instability in our zone.”
Onoh was the only public office holder who came out boldly and publicly at the commencement of the sit-at-home protests in the south-east urged residents to ignore the exercise since it would retard the economy of the region, more so when it was ordered by a non-constituted authority.
He flared the imitation of Emilokan’s slogan for Senate presidency which he said was a selfish interest of the imitator from the southeast.
