Ebonyi State Governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru, has advocated for the rotation of the office of the President amongst the six geopolitical zones that make up Nigeria for equity and fairness.
According to the governor, it is an injustice to the southeastern states, as the political zone has not occupied the position of president since 1999.
The governor stated this at his office, Centenary City, Abakaliki, when he received members of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
“That the Southeast geopolitical zone has not occupied the position of the president since 1999 is an injustice. What is the essence of the geopolitical zone structure if the office of the president cannot be tested by all the zones?” the Governor queried.
The governor also stressed the need to review section 308 of the constitution to also grant immunity to the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Deputy, as well as Speakers and Deputy Speakers of State Assemblies.
The governor used the occasion to renew his call for constitutional backing for state police, dismissing the insinuations that they will be misused by governors.
He then called for the creation of additional states in the Southeast region to address the imbalance in the geopolitical structure.
“To end regional squabbles permanently, I urge the National Assembly to ensure marginalisation and structural imbalances are constitutionally addressed. Out of the six geopolitical zones in the country, only this region has five states, a development that can trigger resentment amongst the people.”
Earlier, the leader of the team and Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, said they are in the zone for a public hearing on the review of the Constitution.
“Due to growing concerns that there is a need to further review the constitution to meet the demands of Nigerians, the public hearing was conducted. I don’t need to tell you much about it because in the previous exercises, you participated actively as the then speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.”
He assured that members of the Review Committee will ensure no section of the country is shortchanged in the process.
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