By ,Joseph Edeh
Chief Sam Onuigbo, a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says top politicians of Igbo extraction should unite and negotiate with their counterparts in other ethnic blocs to secure the best political deals for their people in 2027.
Onuigbo said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
Nigeria’s general election holds every four years and the next round scheduled for 2027 with alignments and re-alignment already taking place among the political class.
Prominent among such moves is the decamp of several governors, including Mr Peter Mbah of Enugu State into the APC which rules at the federal level and controls most states in the country as well as both chambers of the National Assembly.
Onuigbo, who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia-North and South in the House of Representatives, said without proper negotiation and consultation the best interest of Igbo people in Nigeria’s political space would not be maximally served.
He said the Ndi Igbo had demonstrated their commitment to the unity, progress and prosperity of the country as evidenced in their investment in virtually every nook and cranny of Nigeria.
“It is because of their level of commitment that you see them feeling free to invest in every part of the country more than any other part of the country,“ he said.
This, he said, showed their belief in a strong, united, indivisible, indissoluble, prosperous Nigeria.
According to Onuigbo, the Igbo ethnic nationality has contributed enormously to the development of the country.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for establishing the South East Development Commission, to address the devastation of the region during the civil war.
The former lawmaker said the commission ought to have been created immediately after the war.
“President Bola Tinubu deserves commendation for the approval and establishment of the commission properly deployed for Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction.
Onuigbo also expressed support for the creation of additional state in the southeast zone.
“It is unfair for other zones in the country to have six states while the South East has five,” he said.
Speaking on coups in some countries in the West African sub-region, Onuigbo said agitation by the people is all about good governance.
He urged Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu`s administration and his reforms to provide dividends of democracy to the people.
“President Tinubu needs our support and encouragement to ensure that the reforms he brings on board succeed,“ he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Uche Anunne
