SGF: Maduekwe’s name missing

Posted by admin Latest Politics, South-East Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohaneze Nd’Igbo, at the weekend submitted the names of four persons to President Goodluck Jonathan for consideration as the next Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Those in list included former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, season academics, Profs. Uzodinma Nwala and Ben Obumselu and the current Director of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Mr. Emeka Eze.

Daily Sun learnt in Abuja yesterday that the decision was in response to the decision of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to zone the office to the South-East. The shortlisted names had already been sent to the President.
A source close to the organisation said over the weekend that the presidency had asked for input from Ohaneze as it widened its search for the plum position in order to placate the group which felt hard done by, when its pleas that the speakership of the House of Representatives be zoned to the South-east appeared to had fallen on deaf ears.

The presidency it was learnt, had earlier asked the five governors of the zone to recommend names for possible appointment for the zone, but was forced to have a rethink when “each governor wanted his crony for the job.”
Although the source said the President could still make his pick from outside the list submitted by Ohaneze, the source said the organization would feel slighted if Jonathan was swayed by personal interests of people from outside the zone in deciding on becomes the next SGF.

“Ohaneze insisted, and told the President that whoever occupied the highest position zoned to Igboland in the incoming administration must represent the interest of the zone without compromising on the high demands of the office as the clearing house for government activities. These four people met those criteria,” the source said.
The presidency appeared to have decided to work with the list sent to the organization, a source close to it said last night that Jonathan was not likely to do anything that would suggest that he was spliting the South-east again.
However, he added as a caveat, “people should not be surprised if the President settles for a dark horse. He did not say who could be the dark horse among the three even though he said the usual intra- zonal politicking that characterizes the zone was already at play that “zoning has to reflect spread.”

According to him, in terms of Politics, the South-east was made up of two sub-groups: the old Anambra (Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi) and old Imo (Abia and Imo). He pointed out that since the former had already occupied a plum job zoned to the South-east with respect to the Deputy Senate President , it would only be fair, just and equitable that the SGF should come to the latter. Besides, he noted that the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP for the South-east also comes from the Old Anambra axis. Anyim, who hails from Ebonyi State was the Senate President until May 29, 2007. He contested for the chairmanship of the PDP but had to step down for Chief Vincent Ogbulafor following the consensus arrangement at the party’s national convention in 2008.

Prof. Ben Obumselu from Anambra State an English Language scholar was described as a throughbred Igbo man who had been active in Ohaneze issue for many years. Like Obumselu, Eze, an engineer, hails from Anambra state.
Prof. Nwala from Imo state was a key member of the G-34 that metamorphosed into the PDP in 1998. Besides authoring the first constitution of the PDP, he was said to have played a key role in the adoption of “some key elements of the 1999 Constitution – such as the six zone structure, the federal character principle and the jacking up of the derivative fund from 3 per cent 13 percent – through his activities at the Constitutional Conference of 1995.
Jonathan is expected to announced his choice this Sunday after the inauguration.

-Sunwp_posts