. . . Unleashes facts and figures to support argument

By TINA TIMOTHY

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) is insisting that come 2023, the Southeast geo-political zone should produce the President of the country.

The group also demands that key federal offices must be balanced among the six geopolitical zones.

This is contained in a joint letter issued by Intersociety to 27 top Nigerian authorities & Foreign Missions dated Monday, March 14, 2022 in Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria.

The trio of Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche and Chidimma Udegbunam who endorsed the letter described it as “Intersociety’s intellectual contribution for peaceful transition of seats of power in Nigeria in 2023 and a working document aimed at ending the decades long ‘born to rule and born to be ruled’ in the country.”

The letter reads in part: “The Int’l Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Nigeria’s leading researchers, investigators and advocates on democracy and good governance, human rights and rule of law and citizens’ security and safety has respectfully informed twenty-seven (27) top federal authorities and respected foreign missions in Nigeria that “the Presidency of the Southeast extraction and balancing of the country’s key federal offices are non-negotiable and inexcusably practicable in 2023.”

Intersociety listed the key seats of power under reference to include offices of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker of House of Reps, Deputy Speaker of House of Reps, Chief Justice of Nigeria, President of the Court of Appeal, Attorney General of the Federation, Solicitor General of the Federation, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Inspector General of Police, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Defense Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Director General of SSS (DSS) and Director General of National Intelligence Agency.

It added that the list includes others numbering not less than 1,083 captured in the ‘‘Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, Etc.) (Amendment) Act of 2008.”

Part of the letter reads: “For purpose of ensuring geopolitical, ethnic and religious balancing in 2023, the following eighteen top elective and appointive federal offices shall be shared as follows: Southeast Region-President of Nigeria (Christian/non Muslim), Northeast-Vice President (Muslim), North-Central-Senate President (Christian/non Muslim), Southwest-Speaker House of Reps (Muslim/Christian), South-South-Deputy Senate President (Christian/non Muslim), Northwest-Deputy Speaker of House of Reps (Muslim).

“From the angle of Security/Service Chiefs: Southeast-Inspector General of Police (Christian/non Muslim), Northeast-Chief of Defense Staff (Muslim), North-Central-Chief of Army Staff (Christian/non Muslim), Southwest-Director General of State Security Services (Muslim), South-South-Chief of Naval Chief (Christian/non Muslim) and Northwest-Chief of Air Staff (Muslim).

“From the angle of top judicial officers: Southeast-Chief Justice of Nigeria (Christian/non Muslim), Northeast-Attorney General of the Federation (Muslim), North-Central-President of the Court of Appeal (Muslim), Southwest-Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (Christian/non Muslim), South-South-Solicitor General of the Federation (Christian/non Muslim) and Northwest-Chief Judge of the FCT High Court (Muslim).

“On the same note, all the top executive offices/bodies listed under Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution as well as other top federal agencies and parastatals and officer corps of the Armed Forces and their equivalents in the Nigeria Police Force, SSS, NIA and Paramilitaries shall be shared in full compliance with the country’s multicultural, ethnic and religious compositions using the six geopolitical zonal or regional arrangements. In the country’s security and defense establishments, for instance, there are no fewer than 1300 top police officers including one IGP, eight DIGs, 30 AIGs, 100 CPs, 280 DCPs, 550 ACPs and 960 CSPs.

“In the Army, not less than 1,000 commissioned Army Officers abound with similar numbers likely the case in the Navy and Air Force as well as the Service (Intelligence) and the Paramilitary Agencies.

“It is the insistence of Intersociety that all the promotions and postings involving all their officer corps must reflect structural/geopolitical and ethno-religious balancing in line with Constitutional Sections 14 (3) (geopolitical balancing), 15 (4) (sense of belonging in federal office appointments), 17 (freedom, equality and justice), 42 (freedom from structural and personality discrimination during appointments), 217 (3) (composition of the officer corps and other ranks of the Armed Forces of the Federation must reflect federal character or geopolitical balancing) and 10 (Government of the Federation or a State must not adopt any religion as State Religion).”

Going down memory lane, Intersociety recalled that: “In the Nigeria’s democratic dispensations since its colonial transition in 1957-1960, the country was executively governed by Late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Belewa as Prime Minister from present Bauchi State in the Northeast Region who was in office till 1966. Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was the ceremonial or non executive President from 1960-1966.

“Revisited and considered too was the Presidential Democracy of 1979-1983 and that of 1999-2023. Rejected was the military era governance of 1966-1979 and 1983-1999. This is because military involvement in public governance is an aberration and can never be cited or counted.

“Therefore, looking at the occupation of the country’s executive prime ministerial and executive presidential seats of power since its transitional period in 1957 and, most importantly, its executive presidency since 29^thMay 1999, it is found that the most cheated geopolitical zones or regions are Regions of the Southeast and the Northeast.

“The North-Central, which ought to be the third most cheated, was found not to have stayed too long away from the executive presidential seat of power.

“From the perspective of fairness and equity, the Southeast Region is eminently qualified to produce the next President of Nigeria in 2023 and it has no rival in this respect.

“This is because the Northeast Region where Late Sir AbubakarTafawa Belewa came from (Bauchi State) had held the country’s executive prime ministerial seat from transitional period of 1957-1960 and from 1960-1966, a period of nine years.

“In all, the Northwest Region had occupied the country’s elective/executive presidency from 1979-1983, 2007-2010 and 2015-2023; a total of fifteen years, Southwest Region 1999-2007; a total of eight years and South-South Region 2010-2015; a total of five years.

“Therefore, the Southeast Region which had never occupied democratically and executively elected presidential seat since independence, is eminently the next in line, to be followed afterwards by Northeast and North-Central Regions. That is to say that South West, South South and North West must wait for their turns and support the Southeast in 2023.”

Intersociety explained that the aim of the Joint Letter was to end “winners take all” and allay fears of the other ethno-religious components regarding the possibility of feeling being ‘lost out’ or segregated or excluded on account of ascendance to the Presidential Seat of Power by another Ethnic Nationality or Geopolitical Zone (i.e. Southeast Geopolitical Zone).

“The Letter was also aimed at safeguarding the life of the country’s next President and preventing him/her from emerging as “a lonely or stranger President” or “President surrounded by zealots or extremists from ethno-religiously radicalized geopolitical zone or zones” especially conservative advocates of “born to rule and born to be ruled.”

“Finally, our Joint Letter sought to strengthen the spirit and letters of the country’s Constitution regarding its multicultural and religious democratic pluralism,” the letter said.

“The five-page Joint Letter was addressed to 13 of Nigeria’s key federal establishments and the Chairman of the APC Governors Forum/Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (Ekiti State Governor) and the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum (Sokoto State Governor); Secretary to the Government of the Federation, all senator, including the President of the Senate; the Speaker of House of Reps and the 359 other House of Reps Members; Chairmen of All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party; INEC; amongst other authorities in the country and foreign missions.