…fingers Uzodinma, Labour Minister of hatching Speaker’s removal
The Arewa Development and Democratic Agenda, a northern political pressure group, has warned against any attempt to unseat the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajjudeen Abbas in the 10th National Assembly.
They accused the current Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, who was recently declared winner of the of Isuikwato-Imunneochi Federal Constituency by National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia, of hatching the plot.
The northern group said they are taken to evaluate the alleged plot which they warned would not augur well with the nation’s body polity if allowed to sail through.
The National President of the group, Yusuf Maigari while addressing a press conference in Kaduna, also fingered the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma of being the brain behind the nefarious plot.
Consequently, they called on President Bola Tinubu to as matter of urgency relief the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, of her job from the Federal Executive Council.
He said, “The Arewa Development and Democratic Agenda(ADDA) has been watching with perplexity the development in the polity, in which a serving Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the person of the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, is plotting to unseat the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Honourable Tajudeen Abbas.
“We have taken time to evaluate this plot of the southeast geo-political zone to unseat our son, Tajudeen Abbas, as the speaker of the House and to replace our Prince of the Zaria Kingdom with a woman who is already a minister.
“We find it shocking that the Minister never thought of hatching this plot until the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia, Abia State, declared her winner of the February 25 election for the Isuikwato-Imunneochi Federal Constituency.
“It is shocking because she has not given a thought to how her machinations would unsettle the harmonious manner in which the leadership of the country was equitably zoned to give fairness to all stakeholders.
“Nkeiruka Onyejeocha’s desire, which reeks of an entitlement mentality, has taken the negativity of selfishness too far and we are now at a stage where we can no longer remain indifferent given the speed with which the plot by the South-East has unfolded in recent days.
“We are watching but let the southeast remember that we contributed more to the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at a time when they were busy pursuing a separatist agenda and sustaining their diliance with the Labour Party while heating the polity up.
“Let our southeast stakeholders remember that we, the Arewa, have the largest bloc in the parliament and any attempt to disgrace our son will be met with a corresponding response.”
He added, “We have also heard that Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state is behind this plot and propping up the Minister to return to the House of Representatives because of his aspiration to be president or vice president.
“This latest onslaught against Arewa’s interest in the legislature is part of Governor Uzodinma’s positioning of his cronies to hijack strategic national offices to prepare the ground for his supposed 2027 presidential bid.
“We are also aware that the same Governor Hope Uzodinma has a fallback plan of using a former Member of the House, who also ran for Speakership like Nkiruka in the 9th Assembly to short-change the North. The North, Arewa, will reject Governor Hope Uzodinma and Nkiruka Onyejiocha.
“Our response to Governor Hope Uzodinma, who feels he is smarter than the rest of us but has yet to show any vote from the southeast under his leadership, will come at the right time. We shall respond to him in proper measure.”
