Leaders from the North-Central zone are alleging gross marginalization in key federal appointments, in spite of the enormous sacrifices the zone made to ensure the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the February 25 presidential poll.
Speaking through a former Acting governor of Kogi State and ex-Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Honourable Abdullahi Bello, they argued that the North-Central was pivotal to the eventual victory of the APC at the primary and the election proper hence their area deserved to be fully appreciated and rewarded through key appointments.
Their call conveyed by the secretary of the North-Central Parliamentarians Directorate of the APC-PCC 2023, Bello, came barely a week after main stakeholders from the zone under the aegis North-Central Development Initiative decried alleged sidelining of the area, despite the huge number of voters it delivered to the APC during the February 25 presidential poll.
The North-Central stakeholders said the zone came third after the North-East and the South-West in terms of the massive votes gathered by the APC to win the poll.
Speaking on Sunday against the backdrop of the agitation of the zone for “a fair and balanced deal,” Bello said President Tinubu emerged president at a period the country was gasping for survival due to severe challenges.
“President Tinubu got elected when our country was almost dead from the point of socio-economic and political considerations.
“Our national circumstance was such that no part of our nation that is not battling one peculiar or unique crisis or the other, coupled with the intentional anti-people naira design policy and the fuel subsidy crisis.
“All these were booby traps left behind and put directly on the path of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
“With all the hardship that his public policy position has shown so far, there are, of course, signs of recovery and greatness ahead.
“At least for the first time in our political history, we have two experienced individuals, that is, President Tinubu and Vice-President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who have got both executive and legislative backgrounds as our president and vice-president respectively.
“I have absolute belief and trust in their capacity and capabilities because to me they know the purpose of governance.
“Finally, I appeal to the president that the North-Central geopolitical zone has been abandoned by way of appointment into strategic positions.
“Many of us, who were punished for being Asiwaju’s men in our states, are still endlessly waiting for recognition till date.
“If the president didn’t succeed during the APC presidential primary, he couldn’t have been president today. Therefore those of us who worked day and night in our Wuse 2 office before the primary are nowhere among key appointments, thus far.
“President Tinubu being a man of honour, I hope that very soon, things will change positively across the federation in-shaa Allah.”
. TheWitness
