HURIWA: Zoning S’East Out of N’Assembly Hierarchy is Apartheid Policy

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), has cautioned that excluding the South-east from the two major principal officers of the National Assembly  would offend section 42 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, maintained  that excluding such a large group of citizens of Nigeria from the political hierarchy of the Nigerian state would amount to elevating apartheid as a national matrix.

It maintained that from the reading of the public press statement from the national hierarchy of APC, there was nowhere that the ruling party had drawn the curtain to a close against the South East in the hierarchies of both chambers of the National Assembly was acceptable.

It, therefore, warned the APC and the President-elect,  Bola Tinubu, that the exclusion of the South East was a violation of section 42 (1) of the constitution.

HURIWA though said excerpts from the signed copy of the media statement in its possession did not in anyway eliminate the South East from the hierarchies of both chambers of the National Assembly.

The Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), which maintained that no final list of leaders of the National Assembly has been drawn up, also backed the Senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial District, Osita Izunaso, and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu for the prestigious seat of the Senate President in the 10th National Assembly to be inaugurated in June.

It said both Orji Kalu and Osita Izunaso ,who were once senators from June 2007 to June 2011 have the legislative experience, maturity and corresponding integrity to lead Nigeria’s red chamber as the nation’s number three citizen.