Udora Orizu writes that the leadership of the All Progressive Congress should consider distributing the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives to the Southeast Area in the spirit of fairness, justice and equity

As the National Assembly leadership race kicks off, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) should consider a variety of factors before zoning the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives into a particular area in a spirit of of fairness, justice and fairness. .

With the issuance of the certificate of return to the elected members of the House of Representatives by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and a meeting between lawmakers and the elected president, Bola Tinubu; his vice, Kashim Shettima; the race for the main functions, in particular that of president, is launched, before the investiture of the 10th National Assembly on June 13th.

Although Tinubu at the meeting said that he has no preferred candidates for the leadership of the federal legislature, the party leadership when making decisions on zoning should show integrity and also find a balance in terms of geopolitical representation in the leadership of the National Assembly. . And to ensure this is achieved, the party should back calls for a South East presidency.

This will not only solve the problem of Igbo under-representation, but also send the message that the party is committed to ensuring that all citizens are fairly represented.

Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, the Southeast geopolitical zone has not yet had the opportunity to produce a Speaker of the House of Representatives, while almost all other geopolitical zones have held this position for several years. .

From 1999 to 2007, the post of president was zoned northwest with Salisu Buhari, Ghali Umar Na’Abba and Aminu Bello Masari in turn.

From 2007 to 2011, the South West had it with Patricia Etteh and DimejiBankole as president, while the position returned to the North West between 2011 and 2015, with AminuWaziri Tambuwal as president.

In 2015, the Northeast once again ruled the affairs of the Green Chamber with YakubuDogara as chairman. In 2019, he returned to the South West with the current president, Femi Gbajabiamila.

As the race to see who will occupy Gbajabiamila’s seat in the 10th National Assembly has begun, based on established political norms and track records, in the spirit of natural justice and fairness, the party should bequeath the presidency of the House of Representatives in the South East and upon completion Hon. Benjamin Kalu is the man you need.

The newly elected members of the Green Chamber from the six geopolitical zones of the country are expected to support the initiative by electing one of its own and member representing Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, as President.

Kalu, who recently won his second re-election bid, has been appointed Chairman of the Media and Public Affairs Committee and Official Spokesperson of the Ninth House by the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

As Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, he launched the Assembly’s first-ever magazine publication titled “The Green Chamber Magazine”, which he said would be a transparency tool to make account of all the activities of the House.

For the past three years, his innovative approach to legislative activities through bills and motions has ranked him among the top 10 MPs in the House for sponsoring bills.

He has also attracted various projects to his constituency of Bende, including the rehabilitation of roads, the construction and rehabilitation of schools and medical centers, and the distribution of educational materials.

As a first-time legislator, he took the lead in moving the 9th House’s first motion.

He had since sponsored several motions. One of his notable motions was the motion praying for the evacuation of Nigerians from China as the coronavirus spread from that country to other parts of the world.

Another notable motion was the motion on the need for intervention in public health crises of TB in Nigeria.

Some other motions include: the motion on the need to suspend the implementation of the cashless policy on deposits by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the motion on the urgent need to ensure the speedy reconstruction of the AkanuIbiam International Airport and installation of landing aids, Urgent need to address severe landslides and other threats of environmental degradation in Alayi and other communities in the Federal Constituency de Bende, the need to investigate the failure and refusal of the Niger Delta Development Commission to submit its budget estimates for 2019 to the National Assembly for approval.

The House Speaker has also sponsored over 40 bills. Some of the bills include: Federal College of Education Bende, (Establishment, etc.) Bill of 2020, Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) (Amendment) Bill, Counterfeit Currency (Special Provisions) (Amendment), 2020, Dangerous Drugs Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Acts Authentication Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Nigerian Meteorological Agency Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Nigerian Communications Act ( Amendment) Bill, 2019, Internal Loans (Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Development) Act (Amendment) ) Bill, 2019, Public Accounts Implementation Tribunal Act (Repeal) Bill 2019, Official Secrets Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, among others.

Throughout his political career, Kalu has led by example, demonstrated integrity, communicated effectively with fellow legislators and the media. He empowered his constituents and was an inspiration to those around him.

He was the youngest chairman of Bende local government in Abia State at the age of thirty-one. At thirty-four, he served as Senior Special Adviser to Abia State Governor Orji UzorKalu on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, before becoming Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on the Millennium Development Goals. development and international relations.

Over the years, Kalu has worked closely with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honorable Femi Gbajabiamila, who is known to have upended the image of parliament somewhat, given his timely and thoughtful interventions on some matters of national interest.

Kalu is knowledgeable, experienced and has proven capable of handling delicate and sensitive legislative assignments.

This thoroughbred lawmaker has paid his debt over the past five years and, having worked closely with Gbajabiamila, if elected president, he would be able to deploy his experience to enact enabling legislation to address the issues many facets that plague the country.

The people of the southeast rejoice and are happy that the Hon. Benjamin Kalu is in the running for the presidency. He is considered the ideal man to take over from Gbajabiamila.

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