As the battle rages on who emerges the next speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, former Senate President Chief Adolphus Wabara, has urged the contenders to support Hon. Chinedum Orji, stressing that the speakership position should not remain in Ngwa bloc when they have the governor of the state.
Outgoing Speaker, Chief Chikwendu Kalu has been locked in a bitter battle with Hon. Chinedum Orji, who is the Majority Leader of the Assembly.
Wabara, who spoke against the backdrop of the war of words between Kalu’s supporters and Orji’s, stated that only zoning would foster peace, unity and equity in the state.
The former senate president explained that there is a great need for political offices to rotate to all sections of the state to sustain the peace and unity in which state enjoys under Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu.
He also urged the PDP to zone the position of the next deputy speaker of the state Assembly to Ukwa bloc in Abia South zone.
“Our party believes in zoning of political offices. We also believe in macro and micro zoning of offices to ensure that power rotates among the political blocs equally. The Governor is from the Ukwa/Ngwa political bloc in Abia South zone, his deputy is from Abia North zone, so the just thing to do is to zone the speakership position to the Abia central zone.
“But in doing that we must be careful to consider the fact that Abia Central senatorial zone cuts across the Ukwa/Ngwa and old Bende political blocs and for the sake of equity, it will not be just for the Ukwa/Ngwa bloc that produced the Governor to also produce the speaker.
“Based on this, Old Bende axis should produce the speaker from the Umuahia area, while Ukwa/Ngwa axis should take the deputy speaker, but this time around the Ukwa Nation should have the slot since the Governor is from the Ngwa bloc. It is unfair for the speakership seat to remain in Ngwa when they also have the governor. Abia is a state of equity; we the Ukwa/Ngwas got the governorship position because we believe in equity. Chinedum Orji could have been Speaker in 2015, but he declined. Now, he is interested, he is the most qualified from the Umuahia bloc, the position should go to him.”
Wabara who is the Secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees, BOT, dismissed the reports making the rounds that Orji would distract the Ikpeazu administration if he emerges Speaker of the next Assembly and described such as unfounded.
