APPOINTMENT OF FOUR SERVICE CHIEFS TODAY WITHOUT A SOUTH-EASTERNER AMONG THEM: WHY AND HOW TO ASSUAGE SOUTH-EAST FEELINGS ON THE MATTER.
Like in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari today, 26th January 2021, appointed four service chiefs – Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Naval Staff – without a South-Easterner among them.
We would have thought that having tried military officers from other regions of Nigeria since 2015 and found them replaceable today, that our listening President would trust one of many brilliant officers of South-East extraction with headship of one of services.
When it is remembered that none of the other security and intelligence agencies is presently headed by a South-Easterner, the feelings in the South-East of deliberate exclusion of the region from security matters is understandable.
However, being APC members, we suspect that it is not entirely President Buhari’s fault that the South-East has been shut out of defence and security leadership since 2015.
As the leader of APC who should be desirous of growing APC in the South-East as in the other geopolitical zones, especially now that our party is in the process of carrying out nationwide membership registration and revalidation exercise, President Buhari should not listen to those who might tell him that APC doesn’t need the South-East.
When he leaves office on 29th May 2023, millions of his personal traditional voters may be lost to APC. From where would APC replace them? From saturated Northern and South-West APC votes that might dwindle in 2023 or from South-South that has virtually sacked APC from that zone?
Anyone who does correct political arithmetic knows that the zone with tens of millions of untapped voting potential is the South-East.
Especially with promise of Nigeria’s president of South-East extraction in 2023, millions of South-Easterners who never voted before would not only register to vote, collect their Personal Voter’s Card (PVC) and vote, but would also join APC. And they have started, with the zone now parading two APC governors and many other big politicians and their followers expected to join our party.
South-East is without doubt the APC growth area ahead of 2023 and should be courted with appointments, projects and contracts. We expect that if a South-Easterner wins APC’s presidential ticket, APC would win the 2023 presidential election with over 50 million votes.
For those of us in the frontline of marketing APC in the South-East, Mr President would help us by appointing the Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp from the South-East.
We are aware that a South-Easterner is currently Deputy Commandant General and Acting Commandant General, while another South-Easterner is Assistant Commandant General at the same security agency.
If Mr President appoints one of them as Commandant General, the shock and disbelief that most South-Easterners feel today over appointment of four military service chiefs without a South-Easterner among them would be somewhat assuaged.
We would respond to our PDP detractors today mocking South-East APC members that a security chief is a security chief and that the South-East has been accommodated at the NSCDC by our listening President.
That should disarm the PDP against us. We also expect that the South-Easterner heading the NSCDC would prove his mettle and demonstrate why majority of discerning Nigerians are today backing emergence of President of Nigeria of South-East extraction on APC platform in 2023.
Dr Chinedu Jideofo-Ogbuagu
National Coordinator
South-East APC Presidency Project 2023.
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