North Central Coalition Demands Speakership Position

George Okoh in Makurdi

A coalition of civil society group from the North Central region of the country with commitment to sustaining Nigeria’s nascent democracy, has demanded that the Speaker of the House of Representatives be conceded to the geo-political zone.

In a speech delivered on Monday by its Chancellor, Dr. Ben Amodu, at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat during a rally by the North Central Democratic Coalition, stated that the strategic importance of the North Central region in the scheme of things in the country could not be over-emphasised.

“The region had proved to be that reliable ally when it mattered most and this much has been demonstrated in different electoral circles, including the recently concluded general election. Let us also forget that the North Central region proved strategic towards the electoral success of the APC during the presidential and national assembly elections,” he said.

According to him, inclusiveness in the country’s governance structure is very important to the zone.

“This is because other regions in the country had been adequately represented,” and as such, called for the North Central region to be accommodated in the leadership of the National Assembly, especially the House of Representatives. 

“We have come here today in our numbers to demand the zoning of the speakership position in the North Central region of the country. A non action implies that the North Central region would be left out of the scheme of things because the Vice President is from the North East, and the North West is in strong contention for a Senate leadership position and therefore, the need for accommodating the North Central in the scheme of things must be addressed.

“We dare say that the North Central region has been neglected by previous administrations, which does not augur well for our democratic experiment. For example, the current arrangement does not include the North Central region, with the president from the North West, the Senate President from the North East, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation from the North East. The North Central region was left home and dry. Regardless, its loyalty to the party was manifest during the general election. As they say, the rest is history with the party’s electoral success.”