10th NASS: No consultation on zoning, I will contest till last minute – Ogah

Member representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chinedu Ogah has said zoning of presiding officers of the 10th House of Representatives was without consultation by the party.

Ogah who is contesting for the office of the Deputy Speaker has vowed to contest till the last minute on the floor of the House after inauguration of the 10th House.

In an interview in Abuja on Wednesday, the lawmaker-elect who is a ranking member, faulted the micro-zoning of the office of the Deputy Speakership to a particular individual, insisting that it has never happened.

According to him, there would always be consultation with members-elect before the Party takes position, but the APC leadership took a decision which got to them through Facebook, noting that it was unacceptable.

He said: “The Deputy Speakership of the 10th House of Representatives as it was zoned to the South East by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, I am qualified in all ramifications as a ranking member and we are three according to the rules of the National Assembly.

“I am a founding member of APC and if our party zoned the position, we have to be called. We held a meeting in the Villa where the Vice President-elect told us that we should all wait till after the supplementary election. After the supplementary election, we were not called until we started seeing something on facebook.”

He expressed his belief that the party and the President-elect will call members to discuss before the inauguration day.

The lawmaker further explained how the former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole summoned a meeting of members-elect in 2019 that led to the emergence of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and others, adding that this one should not be different.

“If our party is going to zone presiding officers, we are going to be called. I will always make a reference, when Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was the National Chairman that led to the emergence of our Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

“Oshiomhole called a meeting, then Hon. Idris Wase was contesting, Hon. Betara was contesting and there was a kind of written agreement to have Femi as the consensus of the party. Wase to deputise him, while Betara was to go for House Committee Chairman on Appropriations. The party came out with a unanimous voice and pushed their decision to the press.

“I stand to say I am the only person that stood out to campaign for our party in the South East. Check out results in 2019 and in 2023. It’s not when somebody has 15 votes in his polling unit. We are all qualified to contest. To that extent, I am going to contest on the floor of the chamber,” he declared.