Step Down!! Igbo Group Tells Ekweremadu

A Southeast group, under the aegis of The African
League Organisation (ALO), has called on the Deputy
Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu to “step aside” to
allow another senator from the region replace him.
The group made this call while addressing
journalists in Abuja on Monday.
It alleged that as Deputy Senate President in the
past eight years, he had been passive as no
tangible progress had been made in the Southeast
that could be linked to his name.
The group said it had written Ekweremadu to quit.
According to the group, “The only noble way
forward is that you should immediately step aside
for one out of the remaining 14 distinguished
senators from the five states that make up our
zone to immediately step in to accomplish our
Southeast dreams”.
The letter was signed by Chief Kingsley Okafor of
National Progressive Coalition, Mazi Sunny
Chijioke of Southeast Professionals in Commerce,
Sir Okay Nwaneri of Ibos in Politics, Ike
Ikemefuama of Ibos in the Diaspora and Chief Anya
Onyeije of African League Organisation.
Copies of the letter were forwarded to the President
General, Ohanaeze-Ndi-Igbo, the Chairman,
Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers, all
Southeast governors and senators.
The group hinged its call for Ekweremadu’s
resignation on his alleged failure to use the
position to advance the course of the Igbos for
eight years.
They said: “We are deeply worried that while our
area has been sidelined and unrepresented under
your leadership as the Deputy Senate President for
these eight years under review, you on 9th June,
2015 assumed the same position in the 8th Senate
may be for another period of four dark years. God
forbid”.
ALO noted that despite the Southeast zone
producing the deputy senate president in the
person of Ekweremadu in the last eight years, all
that Igbo youths had gotten was unemployment,
poverty and stress.
The letter further reads. “As a leader in the Senate
occupying the number two seat and Chairman,
Senate Committee on States Creation, with all
emoluments, entitlements and paraphernalia of the
exalted office pencilled for the Southeastern zone,
we expect total protection, representation on the
scheme of things concerning us all.
“You failed to mobilise other 14 senators from
Southeast Zone and other senators from other
geo-political zones to support the Southeast
cause. During this period, senators from other
zones ordinarily could not have led or championed
our cause without your leadership.
“Unfortunately, our zone with its numerous and
peculiar problems is sidelined, marginalised and
abandoned to its own faith not by the Federal
Government but by its own due to lack of
leadership.
“The direct effect is that our area is left
unrepresented by leaders like you who ride on
their back to stupendous wealth with all accolades
of great life, including national honours and
uncountable number of chieftaincy titles within this
period”.