Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to ensure action is taken to create a new state in the southeast in order to address the injustice of the region having only five states.
This is even as the organisation threatened court action against the Federal government for the perceived marginalisation of the zone.
The president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who stated this while briefing journalists in Owerri, also said the organisation will have no choice but to seek a proper interpretation of Nigeria’s constitution in court, if the Federal Government fails to respond positively to this request.
According to him, Ohanaeze is concerned about the obvious inequality and injustice manifested in the recent appointment of members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
“Altogether, 48 members were appointed and sworn in, but only five were appointed from the South East, By the principle of Federal Character, the Southeast ought to have gotten at least eight ministers.
“This action has put the southeast in an absolute minority in the Federal Executive Council. For the avoidance of doubt, the Ohaneze Ndigbo stands for equity and justice. Ohaneze-Ndigbo believes that equity and justice are fundamental prerequisites for an enduring harmonious relationship in a country such as Nigeria with many diversities, The Federal Character enshrined in our Constitution is a major step towards the management of Nigeria’s many diversities.
“We have, in the past few years, patiently watched some people in authority deny the Southeast our rights. For example, there is no explanation whatsoever for giving Southeast five states only, whereas other zones have six or seven states.
“This situation has put Southeast in a very serious handicap. For example, many appointments are made based on the equality of states. On this premise, the South East has lost a lot of appointment opportunities.
“In the legislature, the South East has lost a whole state legislative assembly, the House of Representatives and three senators. The impact of this is also felt during the presidential primaries, where delegates are drawn from states and local governments.
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