Kalu visits Ganduje, lobbies for additional ministerial slots for S’East

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has called on President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of All Progressives Congress to consider increasing the ministerial slots for South-East for the sake of equity and federal character.

Kalu made the appeal when he paid a visit to the National Chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, at the party secretariat on Thursday.

In the composition of 48 ministers screened by the Senate, North-west, the zone with the highest number of states got 10 ministerial slots while North-East received eight, North-Central (8), South-West (9), South-South (9) and South-East (5).

Addressing journalists after the meeting, Kalu, the lawmaker representing Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State, argued that the South East region deserved more.

He said, “We are raising the lobbying for more for South East. You know, we are like the Oliver Twist. While thanking Mr President for remembering us despite all odds and despite our contributions to the last election, he remembered us by ensuring that I also emerged as the deputy speaker of the house, for which the region is very grateful to Mr president. But we are also asking him, because he is a man that we know is magnanimous, to look into increasing the member of ministerial positions for the region.

“In addition, we also came to discuss other pertinent issues that will affect the growth of the party, the nation and as well as my region and we had a good time discussing those issues. The issue of national balancing, loyalty and cohesion in the country in the spirit of the Constitution with regards to federal character, the way and manner appointments and projects are done. We also deliberated on that to see that the balancing will increase the national cohesion.”

An excited Kalu also commended the President for finding it worthy to appoint Deputy Majority Whip, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, ex-Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and former Chairman Committee on Healthcare Services, Tanko Sununu, an opportunity to serve as ministers.

He expressed optimism that the appointees would deliver on the renewed hope agenda of the President.

“I took the time to thank him and Mr President for finding a lot of young people worthy to be in government now as ministers and also women inclusion that has been preached over and over again and was part of the constitutional review that went to the former president that was not assented to. We are hoping that his Presidency will be looking into that as I lead the parliament in the House of Representatives on constitutional review, it will be one of the issues we will be re-presenting to the president on the need to include more women in what we are doing.

“I want to thank him for my sister who was found worthy to be on board, Honorable Nkiru Onyejeocha, other members of the Parliament like Tunji Ojo, Dr Sununu, and all the members of the parliament that have been considered worthy, to help in piloting the affairs of the country,” he stated.