Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has called on the people of the southeast to continue to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying that doing so would benefit the zone immensely.
A statement signed by his chief press secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, quote the deputy speaker as making the call at a southeast stakeholder meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital on Sunday.
The deputy speaker spoke of the commitment of the Tinubu government to reposition the South East.
Kalu said under the administration, efforts are currently ongoing in the national assembly to create an additional state for the South East as well as release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Kalu also said that the appointment of several persons from the South East into position or authority by the President is a clear indication of the commitment of APC government to inclusivity and urged charged the people not to answer any call to revolt against the government.
He said: “Aside from our supportive legislative activities, President Tinubu has implemented bold reforms to stabilize the economy. The unification of the FOREX market and redirecting funds to critical sectors like healthcare, education, and infrastructure have boosted investor confidence, making
the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the NGX, one of the top-performing stock exchanges globally.
“In strengthening national security, significant investments have modernized and equipped our security forces. Over 4,600 hostages have been freed, more than 9,300 hostiles neutralized, and over 7,000 terrorists and bandits arrested.
“The National Assembly under the leadership of the APC will continue to leverage legislative interventions to reposition the South East and indeed the nation. To this end, efforts are on to give an additional state to the South East.
“The call for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is resonating as one of the keys to resolving the security challenges in our zone. It is therefore appropriate in an occasion like this to thank everyone who has keyed into this effort, including our Governors, Senators, Members of House of Representatives, Ohaneze Ndigbo, etc. May we not relent until the deed is done.
“The recent appointments of several illustrious sons and daughters of the region demonstrate the party’s commitment to inclusivity.
“In addition, given all the remarkable achievements of the president and our great party in the last one year, I urge the southeast region to remain steadfast and not join any
calls to revolt against a president who has done so much for our country. We must stand united in support of his visionary leadership.”
Kalu emphasized the need for unity and peace in the party while tasking the people to work assiduously in the coming general elections to make the entire south east an APC zone.
“However, while we celebrate these achievements, we must acknowledge that there is still much work to be done. The APC’s presence in the South East is not as robust as it should be. Out of five states, we have only two under our party’s leadership. This is not enough. We must push to bring the rest on board, either by converting those in opposition governorship seats or by winning the states outrightly.
“Our voyage is not the journey of one man. A one-man party never conquers. Igwe bu Ike—strength is in unity. There is no strength in disunity and division. It boils down to how far we want to go. If we aim to go high and wide, we must hold each other’s hands while allowing stakeholders to hold their stakes firmly and efficiently in their various areas of strength.
“The strength of one man cannot be the strength of all because once the man
fails, all fail. But the strength of all is the strength of one man, and another pxman, and another man, and the whole men.
“Let us urge our people to support the federal government and the eight Renewed Hope agenda. Let this support motivate more people, like the former Senate President and former SGF, and even those who are not
as noteworthy as them, to come over to the APC. Let us keep winning souls for the APC. I am confident that when we get to Abia, we will bring in the harvest of the soil we have been tilling for a while”, he said.
The deputy speaker also expressed gratitude to the governors of the 5 eastern states for the relative peace in the region and prayed for sustainability.
“I pray that they make it more sustainable. I also thank the zonal party leadership for consistently hosting this stakeholder’s engagement and extend my gratitude to the various state chairmen of the party”, Kalu said.
