THE A P C.
(1) No South East Presidential candidate for 2023 election even though it is the turn of the region to produce one. The party’s presidential candidate is from a region which had produced President for eight years and vice president for nearly eight years.
(2) No South East Vice Presidential candidate.
(3) The National chairman of the party is not from South East.
(4) The Chairman Board of Trustees of the party, not from South East.
(5) Chairman(APC) Progressive governors’ Forum, not from South East.
(6) Incumbent President of Nigeria, not from South East
(7) Incumbent Vice President of Nigeria, not from South East.
(8) President of the Senate, not from South East.
(9) The Chief Justice of Nigeria, not from the South East.
(10) Deputy President of the Senate, not from South East
(11) Speaker of House of Representatives, not from South East.
(12) Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, not from South East.
(13) Secretary to Federal Government, not from the South East.
(14) Head of Civil Service of the Federation, not from South East.
(15) Chief of Staff to the President, not from South East.
(16) Chief of Army Staff, not from the South East.
(17) Chief of Air Staff, not from the South East.
(18) Chief of Naval Staff, not from the South East.
(19) Chief of Defence Staff, not from the South East.
(20) Inspector General of Police, not from South East.
(21) Accountant General of the Federation, not from the South East.
(22) Auditor General of the Federation, not from the South East.
(23)Surveyor General of the Federation, not from the South East.
(24) Controller General of Customs, not from South East.
( 25) Controller General of Immigration, not from South East.
(26) Postmaster General of the Federation, not from South East.
(27) Controller General of Prisons( now correctional services), not from South East.
(28) National Commandant Civil Defence Corps, not from the South East.
(29) Corps Marshal Federal Road Safety Commission, not from the South East.
(30) Chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC), not from South East.
(31) Chairman Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related Offences Commission( ICPC), not from South East.
(32) Code of Conduct Bureau Chairman, not from South East.
(33) Head of Department of State Services ( DSS), not from South East.
(34) Head of National Intelligence Agency( NIA) not from South East.
(35) Head of National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), not from South East.
(36)Chairman Federal Character Commission, not from South East.
(37)Chairman Federal Civil Service Commission, not from South East.
(38)Chairman Federal Judicial Service Commission, not from South East.
(39)Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC), not from South East.
(40)Chairman National Population Commission, not from South East.
(41)Chairman Police Service Commission, not from South East.
(42)Chairman Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, not from South East and many more too numerous to mention.
Total elimination from all critical positions from the three arms of government. Aside from denial of critical positions in government, the Buhari government has been playing politics with federal government projects in the South East in the past eight years. The President cannot thus point at a single project his government has begun and completed in the region in the past eight years, compared to other regions where several rail, road and airport projects have been completed and put to use. Is it the reconstruction of Enugu- Onitsha dual carriage way and for which the APC mocked former President Jonathan? It is still ‘do one side this year and do another side next year, just make sure work is ongoing’ The Enugu| Port Harcourt express way? The second Niger bridge? None has and will be completed in Buhari’s administration. The mantra of ‘work has reached advanced stage’ will be intensified now that we are going into elections.
THE PDP
The case of the PDP is even worse being a party formed and nurtured to maturity from the South East.
(43) A South Easterner has yet to produce a President from a party which the region considers its own and nursed like a baby in the past 23 years.
(44) A South Easterner has yet to produce a Vice President in PDP for 23 years.
(45) In 2023 when the entire country admitted ought to be the natural turn of the South East to produce President, the PDP, which has its base in the region callously jettisoned zoning just to make the presidency inaccessible to the South East. A northerner emerged candidate.
(46) The implication of jettisoning zoning is that the PDP has not only fragrantly violated its own constitution but also told the South East that what it should continue to produce are votes and not President.
(47) Another implication of jettisoning zoning is that another northerner if allowed, will replace Buhari who has served eight years.
(48) To make matters worse, the National Chairman of the PDP is also from the North.
(49) The Chairman Board of Trustees of the party is from the North.
(50) The chairman PDP governor’s Forum is from the North.
(51) The Chairman PDP’s presidential Spokesperson is from the North.
A northern party it has become. To your tents Oh Israel. ‘We no longer have any inheritance in the son of Jesse’
The APC and the PDP should thus take their campaigns to other places where they gave sense of belonging in the past 23 years and leave the South East alone. Enough is Enough!
By Edmund Oforbuike.
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