Some members of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by Okechukwu Isiguzoro have reportedly met with Arewa stakeholders in a bid to produce a Senate President from the South East.
The race for the 10th National Assembly leadership heightened following the conclusion of the 2023 general elections.
While May 29 is set for the swearing-in of elected persons, including President-elect, Bola Tinubu, Ohanaeze is fighting to have the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) zone the senate presidency to the Southeast region.
It was gathered that some members of Ohanaeze met with the Arewa Stakeholders and Leaders forum in Kaduna within the week, with the aim of influencing the North to prevail on their Senators to select a South Easterner as the next Senate President.
During the meeting, the leader of the Arewa forum, Ibrahim Waziri, pledged to mobilize Northern senators to pave the way for Umahi to become the next Senate President.
“We met with Arewa Stakeholders and Leaders Forum in Kaduna yesterday and we agreed that in fairness, justice and equity, the Southeast should be allowed to produce the President of the Senate in the 10th Assembly.
“This would ensure we have a united Nigeria based on the interest of natural security.
“The Arewa leaders and stakeholders forum led by Ibrahim Waziri have assured Ohanaeze that they would galvanize their Senators from the Northern extraction would ensure that this alliance we are forming will bear fruits when the National Assembly pick their leaders and principal officers on June 13.
They should ensure that the choice of Ohanaeze falls through, and in ensuring that the issue of secession becomes past, they must give an opportunity to a man with the capacity to emerge as the Senate President because his emergence will end violent Biafra agitation and insecurity,” Daily Post quoted the secretary-general of the Ohanaeze group, Isiguzoro saying.
In his submission, Isiguzoro appealed to the National Assembly to adopt the doctrine of necessity to amend the standing rules, noting that the standing rule was a clog in the wheel of Nigeria’s unity.
He stressed that it was important for the National Assembly to put things right in the interest of a united nation and peace, urging it to adopt the doctrine of necessity to amend the standing rules.
“This standing rule is what is preventing the unification of Nigeria,” he said.
“The Senators must know that at this point in time, what is paramount is working against the secession of any part. If the Senate overlooks the serious threats confronting the country and fails to amend the standing rule to allow a man who is the political leader of the Southeast to emerge as the Senate President, such would have an adverse effect on the Igbos.
“This will save Nigeria from disintegration and harmonize whatever is still holding Nigeria together; this would make our people drop Biafra agitation and tell Peter Obi to calm the nerves of his followers challenging the election of Tinubu.
These are the ingredients the senate must look into and ask themselves who among the candidates from the Southeast can Biafra agitators respect,” Isiguzoro added.
