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2007:
Speakers back S.East governors
EMMA OGU,
Owerri
SPEAKERS of State
Houses of Assembly in the South-East yesterday reinforced the demand of
governors of the zone for Ndigbo to produce the country’s president in
2007.
The Speakers also kicked against
deductions made at source from states’ allocations, saying the South-East was
worse affected with developmental projects in the zone stalled in the process.
They called on the centre to find ways of
cushioning the harsh impact of these deductions.
Rising from a meeting held at Imo Concorde
Hotel, Owerri, barely 24 hours after the South-East governors met in Awka, the
Anambra State capital, the Speakers said a Nigerian President of Igbo stock will
mean vestiges of marginalization of the ethnic group would have been removed.
The South-East governors had at their
parley, restated the resolve of Ndigbo to lead the country in 2007 and
evolved a strategy where the ethnic group would produce and line up behind just
one candidate, who will then be sold to Nigerians in the run-up to the poll.
The South-East Assemblies had earlier
passed motions endorsing a Nigerian President from Igbo extraction in 2007.
A communique issued at about 2.00 a.m
yesterday, when the meeting ended, also called on the Federal Government to
restore without further delay, full security to Gov. Chris Ngige of Anambra
State.
The Conference of Speakers which also
lamented, like the governors, at the condition of the second Niger Bridge,
called for immediate commencement of construction work on the project as well as
the dredging of the River Niger to enhance activities in the South-East in
particular and Nigeria generally.
The Speakers kicked against the bill on
Revenue Allocations to Local Governments presently before the National Assembly,
describing it as a violation of the constitution and erosion of the powers and
functions of the states.
The group said deductions made at source
from states’ revenue allocations, particularly those from the South-East have
been biting hard on the states, said the action had stalled developmental
projects in the zone.
Signatories to the communique are Hon. Kelechi Nwagwu,
Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly/Co-ordinator, South East Speakers caucus,
Hon., Chief Stanley Ohejuruka, Speaker Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Mike
Balonwu, Speaker Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Abel Chukwu, Speaker,
Enugu State House of Assembly, and Hon. Christopher Omoisu, speaker Ebonyi State
House of Assembly, who was represented on the occasion by Hon. Tony Onu, Deputy
Chief Whip of the assembly.
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