Ohaneze Elders Seek Inclusion Of Zoning In Constitution

The Ohaneze Elders Council has called for the inclusion of rotation of the Presidency among the six geo-political zones in the constitution.

Elders of the apex Igbo socio-cultural, after a meeting in Abuja over the weekend, declared that the present North/South arrangement does not augur well for equity and justice.

The elders, in a communique read by its chairman, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, also lambasted the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for failing to field South East presidential candidates, even though they said the South East zone would participate massively in the 2023 general elections.

“We are terribly disappointed. We are disappointed that there seems to be a conspiracy by the two major political parties to deny Igbo the opportunity to produce a presidential candidate.

“The parties all agreed that zoning should be North and South, and Ohaneze believed that if it is coming to the South, since Southwest have gone, South South has gone, it is now our turn.

“Ohaneze did everything possible to convince the South Eest and convince the South South and they all agreed that it will be turn of South East. Their leaders, (Ayo) Adebanjo and Edwin Clark, all of them made press statements and confirmed that they support Igbo candidate, even the Middle Belt supported Igbo candidate.

“But unfortunately the political class took another decision, so we feel terribly betrayed not by the Elders but by this political people because we are sure that the Elders in the whole South and Middle Belt supported Igbo candidature.”

“So, it is our view, strong view that, this zoning should be put in the constitution and it should be rotated among the six geopolitical zone.

“So, it is our view, strong view that, this zoning should be put in the constitution and it should be rotated among the six geopolitical zone, “ they stated.

The elders, who observed a minute silence in honour of those, who died in recent attack on the St Francis Catholic Church, in Owo, Ondo, by gunmen, expressed worry that the entire country is now being ravaged by insecurity.

They charged the federal government to raise to the challenge.