Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has urged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to revisit the party’s zoning formula in the interest of fairness.
Onyejeocha, APC, Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, said zoning the office of the Speaker, House of Representatives to the South West should be looked into since the zone has produced the Vice President of the country.
She reminded the party’s leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to run an all inclusive government and quoted Adams Oshiomhole’s assurances that the party would carry everybody along in the scheme of things.
The lawmaker stated this recently when she featured as a guest on Arise TV programme, ’The morning show,’ where she reiterated her determination to contest for the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives next month.
She urges the APC to respect the principles of Federal Character as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, adding that it is not too late for the party to reconsider the zoning formula in order to accommodate the women as well as the South East and North Central zones in the incoming Assembly.
Onyejeocha who said that she is qualified to occupy the Speakership position, appealed to the preferred choice of the party for the position, Femi Gbajabiamila to advise the party’s leadership properly to ensure that every zone is represented.
She said contesting the election as a woman in male dominated environment cannot affect her chances in the race since the male Reps are also her colleagues whose support she has been enjoying as a committee chairman.
She pointed out that she has been discharging her duties as the Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, a position she has occupied for two terms, adding that the women as stakeholders in the nation’s democracy should not be relegated to the background in the 9th Assembly.
“We are all equal when it comes to parliament. The women cannot continue to be at the background every time because we as stakeholders contribute more in the voting strength in any election. So it is time for the women to be heard, not just because I am a woman, I am qualified and at no time has anyone given me a less responsibility because I am a woman.
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“They have treated me as their equals; they have treated me as the Committee Chairman on Aviation for two tenures, I was there in the 7th Assembly and at no point has anybody raised the issue of me being a woman. I am confident that I am qualified to run. I don’t see any reason why they (men) won’t support me to run for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives,” she said.
She charged the party’s leadership to play a fatherly role when it comes to zoning of the principal offices, saying that a father should be fair to all his children.
“That is why we are saying that the APC as a party should revisit the zoning arrangement because we are all equal in Nigeria. When the chairman of the party spoke at the International Conference Centre, he said that the party will include all the zones. When President Buhari spoke after receiving his certificate of return, he said that he will run an all inclusive government that will accommodate everybody. He equally promised that women will have a place in his government.
“We are still in the month of May and I believe that the party will revisit the zoning formula in order to accommodate the women, South East and North Central zones. My zone was able to give Buhari 25 per cent votes in most states of the zone which contributed to his victory in the election because if those 25 per cent vote- spread did not come from the South East, he may not have won the election, so we contributed to his success in the last election,” she said.
According to Onyejeocha, “The party should also respect the principles of Federal Character; number 2 section 14, subsection 3 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which states that the composition of the government of the Federation or any of its agencies and conduct of its affairs should be carried out in such manners as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity and to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there should be no dominance of persons from a few states or a few ethnic groups in that government.
“Every zone should be represented, it is not about the issues of whether people voted 100 per cent or they gave 25 per cent, it is a matter of justice according to the law.”
