.As Enugu West Peoples Forum knocks  South East APC

By Ugochukwu Alaribe & Francis Igata

A socio-political group in Aba, Abia State, Ndigbo In Aba, has vowed to resist any attempt to force the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, out of office.

This came as another Enugu West Peoples Forum, yesterday, came hard on the National Vice Chairman,South-East, of  All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, for misrepresenting the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s comment on his re-emergence as the Senate number two man.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu

Addressing a townhall meeting in Aba, Wednesday, the group, a coalition of professionals, town unions, activists, market and transport unions and civil society organizations, decried the marginalization of Ndigbo in the sharing of political offices, adding that if not for Ekweremadu’s position, Ndigbo would have revolted.

In a communiqué jointly signed by the chairman of the event, Ukpai Ukairo, Prof. Charles Chinekezi and Chinedu Duru, the group said:  “We are not saying that the position of Deputy Senate president is all we deserve in the present administration, but we won’t allow it to be taken away from us. We will resist any attempt to push out Ike Ekweremadu because “the position he occupies is of much relevance to Ndigbo.”

Meanwhile, Enugu West Peoples Forum, yesterday, came hard on the National Vice Chairman,South-East, of All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, for misrepresenting the comments of Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, on his re-emergence as deputy senate president.

The group wondered why Eneukwu would engage in clear mischief rather than deal with the many crises rocking  Enugu State chapter of the APC under his watch.

In a statement by the National Coordinator of the group, Paul Anikwe, the Forum observed: “The state of confusion in Enugu State chapter of APC in particular clearly shows in their discordant responses.

‘’This is because while its self-appointed zonal spokesman, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, attacked Senator Ekweremadu for accusing APC of marginalizing the South-East and South-South in the composition of the first seven positions in the Federal Government, Mr. Eneukwu claimed on the other hand, that Ekweremadu said his emergence had settled the South-East in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

“This is not the first time two political parties will share positions in the Nigerian parliament. So, it is not novel in the Nigerian political landscape for a minority party member to occupy such an exalted seat in the Senate, especially in a situation where Ndigbo would have been left to lurch endlessly in the political wilderness in this dispensation.”