by Uchechukwu Okoroafor, Abuja
We have gotten to the crunch time in the quest for which zone should produce the speaker of the House of Representatives in the 10th National Assembly. We keep insisting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had not carried the people of South East along when the party swept to power in 2015 and 2019 general elections, respectively.
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Many fair-minded Nigerians had therefore expected that the APC to woo the South East which used to be the stronghold of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until lately, would zone its presidential ticket to the South East for justice, fairness and equity. This was not done, which further reinforced the perception that the party’s leadership do not value loyal members of the APC from the zone.
Now the position of the next House of Representatives Speaker has provided another opportunity for the APC leadership led by President Muhammadu Buhari, President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu to galvanize the party towards producing the next speaker from the South East for the sake of inclusivity, justice, fairness and equity.
A cursory look at the number of speakers this country has produced since Independence will show that indeed the South East should produce the speaker. Hon. Edwin Ume Ezeoke from the South East was the first politician to occupy the exalted seat of Speaker in the House of Representatives in the new presidential form of government in the country. He was the speaker during the Second Republic when Alhaji Shehu Shagari was the president. It is therefore over 40 years since he had occupied this exalted position. Chief Agunwa Anaekwe was the speaker of the House of Representatives between 1992 and 1993, during the aborted Third Republic. This was just before the June 12 presidential election was annulled. He managed the affairs of the House through the Interim National Government of Chief Ernest Shonekan before the Late Gen Sani Abacha terminated the life of that republic in November 1993.
Speaker Umeh EzeokeSince Umeh Ezeoke and Agunwa Anaekwe, the closest that the South East had gotten to the Speakership position was during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan when Hon Emeka Ihedioha emerged the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Within the last 40 years that Ume Ezeoke first emerged Speaker of the House of Representatives from the South East the South West has produced Hon Patricia Etteh, Hon Dimeji Bankole and Femi Gbajabiamila as Speakers of the House of Representatives for eight years.
The North West through Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Hon Aminu Bello Masari, Hon Ghali Umar Na’Abba, Hon Ibrahim Salisu Buhari has had more than a fair share of the position, having taken the slot for 12 record years with Salisu Buhari, Na’Abba, Masari and later Tambuwal. This is followed by the North-east with the 10 years of Jalo Waziri and Hon Yakubu Dogara combined.
In the 1st Republic, Chief Jaja Wachukwu from the region now known as South-South became the first indigenous Speaker. That was in 1959, shortly before independence. He handed over the baton to Ibrahim Jalo Waziri from the region now known as North-east in 1960.
The North-central zone held the position in 1983, when the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) administration of President Shehu Shagari won a second term and Hon. Chaha Biam from Benue State was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. He served from October to December of that year before the military sacked the 2nd Republic.
From 1999 to 2007, the position of Speaker was zoned to the North-west with Salisu Buhari, Ghali Umar Na’Abba and Aminu Bello Masari taking their turns. Between 2007 and 2011, the South-west had it with Patricia Etteh and Dimeji Bankole presiding, while the position went back to the North-west between 2011 and 2015, with Aminu Waziri Tambuwal presiding. And in 2015, the North-east clinched the position again with Yakubu Dogara reigning as Speaker. By 2019 however, it returned to the South-west with the current Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila.
So far, the North-west has had more than a fair share, having taken the slot for 12 record years with Salisu Buhari, Na’Abba, Masari and later Tambuwal. This is followed by the North-east with the 10 years of Jalo Waziri and Dogara combined. Then the South-west, with the combined eight years of Etteh, Bankole and Gbajabiamila. The five years of Ume-Ezeoke and Anaekwe from the South-east and the one year of Wachukwu from South South. The shortest stint at the Speakership position is the North Central. But whatever the zone missed in Speakership position, it made up for it in its unparalleled occupation of Senate Presidency Seat. The North Central has produced Senate President for over 13 years through the combined Senate Presidency of Senators Iyprchia Ayu, Ameh Ebute, David Mark and Bukola Saraki between 1992 and 2019.
Hon Ben KaluThis leaves the South East and South-South Zones to be the most eligible to occupy the position. However, given the fact that the South South since the return of democracy in 1999 has produced a vice president for three years and president for five years under the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan and deputy Senate President for four years under the APC administration, it is only fair that the position of Speaker of 10th House of Representatives should go to South East.
This then raises the question, who does the cap fit in the South East to wear the speakership cap? Without beating about the bush, the person fit for purpose is Hon Benjamin Kalu. He met the requirement for House Speakership in terms of capacity, character, transparency, and commitment to deliver for the good of all Nigerians.