By Onome Oghenetega
As the race for who becomes appointed into the substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) heats up, the Delta South zone of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State have demanded for the chairmanship slot reportedly zoned to the state.
Delta South APC appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to pick one of the leaders of the APC from the area as chairman of the soon-to-be constituted board of the intervention agency.
This was part of the resolutions reached at a crucial meeting of leaders and stakeholders of the party held in Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of the state on Friday.
The meeting was attended by some leaders of the party including Prof. Bello Orubebe, Ologbotsere of Warri, Chief Ayirimi Emami, Dr. Alex Ideh and the Delta South APC chairman, Tosan Awani.
ALSO READ: OPINION: Which NDDC Board Is To Be Constituted?
The party leaders, who blamed the marginalisation of its members in appointment into federal position on disunity among members, resolved to unite and drive the progress of the APC in Delta South to win future elections in the state.
They stressed that there was need for leaders and members of the party to unite in order to attract the necessary developments to the area, which they claimed produces over 80% of the crude oil resources in the state.
Delta APC particularly appealed to the leadership of the party at the national and President Buhari to consider appointing an indigene of Isoko, Itsekiri or Ijaw from the area as chairman of the incoming board.
In his opening remark at the meeting, a former commissioner for heath and host of the meeting, Dr. Ideh, said since governorship will “likely” go to Delta Central district, it will be fair for the South to “continue to keep the state chairmanship” of the APC.
He added that Delta South has been “optimally marginalised” because they “have not shown some kind of binding as a people”.
A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, Delta APC leaders passed a vote of confidence on the President Buhari-led government and enjoined the party leadership to zone the 2023 presidency to Southern Nigeria.
Parts of the communiqué issued read, “that the APC Delta state can win all the 2023 general elections if the three Senatorial districts resolve to close ranks and work together in the interest of the party.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Stray Bullet Kills 14-Year-Old Girl During Yoruba Nation Rally In Lagos
“We urge our great party leadership to zone the presidency to the South in 2023 presidential elections in the interest of equity, Justice and fair play and national unity.
“We demand that the chairmanship of the party in the state should be retained in Delta South Senatorial district in the forthcoming state Congress in the interest of equity, fairness and justice.
“That the three Is of Delta South area constitutes the oil producing area of Delta state. Now that the position of chairman is zoned to Delta, it is only natural that our people should be the first to be considered for this position.
“We therefore urge President Buhari to appoint one of any of the Itsekiris, Isokos or Ijaws for this position”.
