30th May, 2019
A Pan-yoruba political group, the Yoruba Youth Movement (YYM) on Thursday endorsed Hon Emeka Nwajiuba as Speaker of the ninth House of Representatives.
A statement signed by its Chairman, Barrister Kola Kayode, in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, said the YYM decided on Nwajiuba in the interest of balancing the equation among the six geo-political zones of the country.
The group also said its decision was in consideration of loyalty and experience in which it rated Nwajiuba as first among equals.
“If we look at it religiously, you will see that a southern Christian is what is needed to balance the scales in the ninth House of Representatives,” the group argued.
According to the YYM, between 2015 and now, the Southeast had doubled its votes in national elections” and so the distribution of the positions of principal officers of the House of Representatives should reflect national unity, balance and cohesion, with the Southeast having the speakership slot.
“Since the presidency is in the North-West, VP in the Southwest; Northeast angling for Senate presidency, South-South gunning for Deputy Senate presidency; North Central, deputy Speaker, the speakership should simply go to the Southeast.
“And talking about the Southeast, Nwajiuba’s loyalty to President Buhari since 2003 is a clear demonstration of the needed qualities.”
The group noted that Nwajiuba, who was House Committee Chairman on Land, Works and Housing, was initially a senior adviser to one-time Speaker, Aminu Bello Masari.
“This experience, when combined with his three law degrees, makes him eminently qualified for the role of Speakership,” the group argued.
It added: “Beyond his consistent loyalty to the president, he was a key actor in the APC constitution drafting committee and much later ranking member of the House of Rep between 1999 and 2003”, the OYM emphasized.