A member of the House of Representatives representing Okigwe South federal constituency, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, has alleged that Imo West Senator, Rochas Okorocha, was responsible for the inability of the South-East to produce National Assembly presiding officers, especially Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Nwajiuba claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari had urged Okorocha, immediate past governor of Imo State, to allow a level playing field during the primary election of House of Representatives primaries to facilitate the zoning of the Speakership office to the zone but the Senator refused.

In a statement he personally signed, the lawmaker insisted that Buhari should not be blamed for the inability of the South-East to produce presiding officers of the National Assembly.

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He called on stakeholders in the South-East to look inwards and identify politicians in the zone whose actions undermined the collective interest of the zone instead of attacking Buhari after losing out in the National Assembly race, particularly the office of the Speaker.

According to Nwajiuba: “I wish to urge restraint by some persons and groups in the South-East who are quick to attack unjustifiably the President over the current state of events. Nothing can be further from the truth. The President does not hate Ndigbo and has no reason to.

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“As a matter of fact, it was the President’s sincere wish to have the Speaker emerge from the South-East and his attempts for that to happen were thwarted.

“As a matter of fact, the Presidency pressed the then All Progressives Congress (APC) governor of Imo State (Owelle Rochas Okorocha) to allow a level-playing field for the House of Representatives primaries to facilitate the zoning of the Speakership office to the zone. The governor refused.

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“His attempt at imposition and the resistance that ensued destroyed the cohesion of the party in the state, undermined the primaries, leading to its nullification by the court. I was thus compelled to seek agreement with other aggrieved members of APC to contest the Okigwe South federal seat on the platform of Accord Party.

“While attacking the President seems expedient and easy, the truth is that there are facts that may not be available to some of those who do this. We in the South-East must realise that if today we feel left out, it is simply because of the political actions by our leaders and we must not shy away from being introspective and taking responsibility.”