NASS leadership: Ohanaeze rejects deputy speakership position

The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide has rejected the proposed position of the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives allotted to the people of the South-east in the 10th Assembly.

It, therefore, directed all the National Assembly members from the entire Igbo land to vote according to their conscience, urging them not to be swayed or influenced by religion and tribe.

Ohanaeze, in a statement issued Friday by the national publicity secretary, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, described the proposed position of the deputy speaker as “disgusting and provocative” to the entire Igbo race.

The statement read in part, “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has watched with grave concern the zoning of principal officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We have also observed that the All Peoples Congress (APC) zoned the position of the Deputy Speaker to the South East of Nigeria.

“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo states that allocating the position of the deputy speaker to the South-east is highly unreflective, disgusting and provocative to the Igbo.

“To this end, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, CFR (Ahaejiagamba) directs all the Igbo lawmakers in the 10th National Assembly to vote according to their discretion irrespective of state, religion or ethnicity.”