Governor of Ebonyi State David Umahi announced that the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) would review the contentious zoning template for the 10th National Assembly despite continued vehement opposition from Senators and House of Representatives members.
No Nigerian can be asked to be patriotic if they have been willfully left out of the country’s larger plans, according to the governor of Ebonyi State, who is also a senator-elect.
At the ongoing induction program for members-elect of the National Assembly, which was organized by the National Assembly and the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Umahi responded to questions from journalists by saying that Nigeria should be seen as a place where the leadership must take a seat and make a deliberate decision to do things differently.
He stated that the leadership and the three branches of government must also be able to sit down and talk in order to build a nation that would be anchored on equity, fairness, and justice for the overall interest of all the regions of the country. This dialogue should involve all six geopolitical zones of the country, in which each zone should be asked what it wants, the problems affecting the zones, and the way forward.
“Resolving all newly arising controversies is the essence of democracy. Our party’s stance has unavoidably led to some controversies. There isn’t a stance the party would have taken that wouldn’t elicit disapproval or controversy.
“I believe that the party and our leadership are very capable and wise in resolving any potential conflicts. They must be working on it, I’m certain of it.
“I’ve said that patriotism is the starting point for resetting this nation. But if you are purposefully left out, you cannot be asked to display patriotism. The leadership must sit down and make a deliberate decision to change how things are done in order for the nation to be seen as one.
“We need to consult with every zone and find out what they want. We must elicit conversation and debate. I think doing that will enable us to solve whatever issue there may be in the regions.
“Our leadership must be able to sit down and communicate with the three branches of the government. We must decide to prioritize Nigeria.
“Everyone will start to look at this country as their own and start putting Nigeria first knowing that they are part of the project Nigeria on the basis of that, built on equity, fairness, and justice.
“This nation cannot have patriotism without equity, fairness, and justice. Many people refrain from returning to the National Assembly because projects are not carried out in their best interests. In order for me to be patriotic, I must ensure that my home region is upheld.
“The public views legislators as having the authority to carry out projects,” Therefore, it should be possible to have executive projects located in their regions so that you can use them to leverage your return and not waste the experience you’ve gained here, said Umahi.
