The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, has described the allocation of the position of the deputy speaker to the South-East as highly disgusting and provocative to the Igbo race.

Chiedozie Ogbonnia, the group’s national publicity secretary, in an interview in Awka on Sunday, said the group was not in agreement with the zoning of key offices of the 10th National Assembly as has been proposed by the ruling party.

“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has watched with keen concern the zoning of principal offices of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We have also observed that the All Peoples Congress (APC) zoned the position of the deputy speaker to the South-East of Nigeria, and this, we considered unacceptable,” he said.

Mr Ogbonnia called on federal lawmakers from the zone in the 10th National Assembly to vote for its principal officers based on their inclination.

He said the apex Igbo group leadership, under Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, agreed to direct all Igbo lawmakers to vote according to their discretion.

Mr Ogbonnia said the lawmakers should have the nation’s best interest at heart in all their duties as national legislators to ensure that the longings of the geo-political zones would be addressed.

He said federal lawmakers should be independent in their core decisions and work harmoniously regardless of their political parties, religion or ethnicity to bridge any gap of disunity.

(NAN)