Any imposed leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives will turn the 9th Assembly to a rubber stamp and will make them impotent in checkmating the excesses of the executive arm of the government.
The youth wing of the Ohaneze Ndigbo has frowned at moves by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to impose leadership on the 9th National Assembly.
A statement issued by Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the President-General of the group, rejected the decision of APC to enforce its choice candidates as leaders of the Assembly.
Isiguzoro stated that if successfully done, the 9th National Assembly will only be a “rubber stamp and impotent” assembly.
He said: “The leadership of Ohanaeze Youth Council will storm the National Assembly soonest to persuade Igbo lawmakers to take destiny in their hands and resist any attempt by external factors to impose on them unpopular candidates for the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The independence of the legislature remains the hope of Nigerians. Any imposed leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives will turn the 9th Assembly to a rubber stamp and will make them impotent in checkmating the excesses of the executive arm of the government.”
The Ohaneze youth are also asking President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint someone from the South-East as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in the new cabinet.
The group posited that if the South-East gets the position, it would reduce the complaint of marginalization from the people.
Isiguzoro added: “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council demands from Presidency the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as the rightful means of re-writing the past mistakes of perceived marginalisation of the Igbo in the first tenure of the Buhari presidency.
“We are also supporting the Senate Presidency to go to the North-East as we expect the North-East to relinquish the office of SGF to the South-East. We have eminent personalities from the region who are qualified for the job.
"The Presidency should allow its appointments to reflect the principle of federal character as the position of the SFG will heal the injustice of the past and unite Nigeria as one.”