There have been speculations that President Muhammadu Buhari will appoint an Igbo man as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) when he finally decides to constitute his cabinet.
But last week, another report surfaced in the media that the president is under pressure from top chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to consider an Igbo man for the post because of theEMERGENCE of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Nigeria’s deputy senate president.
After a critical analysis, Naij.com comes up with 5 reasons why the Igbos will still be rewarded with the position.
1.APC Still Favours Zoning: Despite criticisms that has trailed the way the party zoned the national assembly positions which didn’t eventually see the light of day, the APC from allINDICATIONS still favours zoning and has already reserved the SGF position for the Igbos according to various media reports in the past.
2. United Igbos: The Igbos in the APC are somewhat united in the race to grab the SGF position. There is no major rivalry and tension as they all seem to be speaking with one voice. The revelation by Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha that he submitted three names to President Buhari who are front-liners for the position shows that the Igbos in APC are united and not divided in their quest to occupy the revered post.
3. Capable Candidates: The Igbos in APC are not short inSUPPLY in terms of capable hands that can steer the administrative duties of the Buhari administration. From Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu to Dr. Chris Ngige, to Professor Anthony Anwuka, the Igbos in APC are well positioned for the SGF position.
4. The ANPP Angle: In terms of the Igbos in the ruling party, the odds favour Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu. This is because he belongs to the All Nigeria’s Peoples Party (ANPP) bloc that merged with other parties that produced the APC. He waas even the one who lead the ANPP negotiation as he was the national chairman of the party then. The defunct ANPP,ACTION Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the New PDP all merged to give birth to the APC. As things stands now, CPC produced the current president Buhari. ACN produced the vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. New PDP produced the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara respectively. ANPP is yet to benefit from the new arrangement.
5. Ignore The Igbos At Your Own Peril: The Igbos always form a united political front at any given time in their political journey. This was evident in the last general elections as the people of the south east voted for ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan en-masse. The APC definitely knows that it will be a political suicide not toCARRY the south easterners along in its new administration. An SGF of Igbo extraction will also give the APC an edge as regards the next general elections in Igbo land and also convine the Igbos that some notions about the APC in the region are untrue.
Recently, the traditional ruler of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, urged Igbos outside the southeast region to start investing in their home-land.
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