After making about 28 strategic appointments so far with the South East region not represented, the South East All Progressives Congress is becoming agitated over their perceived marginalization in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. EZUGWU OBINNA reports

There is visible feelings of anxiety and suspense in the camp of the South East chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the perceived marginalization of the zone in key political appointments in the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Already, some notable members of the party in the South East have begun to express worry over the inability of Buhari to appoint a single individual from the zone despite having made close to 28 key appointments thus far.

Some of those who spoke to Hallmark in confidence lamented that while they had braved series of backlash and utter reproach from the people of the zone in their attempts to sell the party and promote the candidature of Buhari during the electioneering campaigns, it appears the President is subjecting them to even more ridicule by relegating the zone to the background in the scheme of things.

“I am not comfortable with the way things are turning out, nobody as far as the South East is concerned should be happy with the situation of things. No matter how you look at it, we did our best for the party despite the challenges we had, I really call on Buhari to consider balancing this imbalance,” said a key APC figure in the South East who craved anonymity.

Although some have continued to argue that there are still other appointments to be made; especially ministerial appointments, many believe that the zone has already been left out in key decision making posts in the new administration.

The contention is that the key positions that would form the nucleus of Buhari government has been taken up mainly by the North at the expense of the South, most especially the South East which is yet to register any appointment while the South West and South-South have had two each. Interestingly, while individuals like Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu had been tipped strongly for the post of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), speculations have been rife that the immediate past governor of Rivers State is being considered for the job. His only problem being the series of corruption allegations leveled against him by some groups in his state, as well as his successor, Governor Nyesom Wike.

The speculations have thrown up a situation where those who opposed the APC in the zone, especially PDP members are beginning to feel justified for voting against Buhari, while the APC members are facing increased pressure to prove that they were indeed right in encouraging the South East to vote Buhari without success.

A chieftain of the party in the zone, and one time governorship candidate in Abia State, Mr. Paul Ikonne confirmed this pressure while addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

“To be very honest with you, we are under pressure; serious pressure, because it is like PDP people and those that didn’t believe APC will see the light of the day are just mocking us but we are not disturbed,” Ikonne said.

“We know that they wouldn’t have their way because they are using it to cause disaffection and trying to bias the minds of the South-Easterners about their involvement in APC, that wouldn’t work because we know what the President has promised us.”

While Ikonne and some other chieftains of the party like Comrade Kevin Ezeoha, the Enugu South Chairman of the party who noted in a chat with Hallmark that he was still confident that Buhari will not marginalize the South East. There is often a decipherable feeling of anxiety and lack of believe in their tones and the revelation by the President that he would favour zones which gave him more votes has also made it difficult to believe that things would change in favour of South  East.

Ezeoha had noted that “I am optimistic. Since our dear President is yet to appoint some other members of the Board, Ministers etc. Let’s exercise patience and see what he has for the South Easterners.”

Unlike Ezeoha and Ikonne however, not all chieftains of the party have been able to downplay this increasing anxiety. Chief Anselm Njoku, the leader of South East APC, Lagos did not hide his worries about the current situation of things.

“Honestly, an average Igbo man is very uncomfortable with this kind of development, very uncomfortable. I am yet to find out the reason for that because I know that we have very credible individuals among the Igbo, people that are competent and qualified in all ramifications,” Njoku said.

He called on Buhari to ensure equity by appointing people from the South East into positions since, according to him they are part of the system. “As I said earlier, I don’t know the method he is going to apply now, but at the end of the day, what we want is less corruption in the system, let there be employment and let the economy recover itself and he should give us good governance.

“But like I have also said, he should do it equitably. Get some Igbo people into the system because right now they are marginalized with the few appointments that have been made. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t have neglected the Igbo or the South-South in any of the appointments because they are part of the system.”

Njoku went on to state that it would be impossible for Buhari to run a Northern agenda in a democratic setting, while lamenting that the appointments he has made so far does not reflect the principle of federal character.

“It would be practically impossible for Buhari to run a Northern government. Nobody can try it in this country; he cannot try it under democratic rule.

“The appointment he has made now does not reflect federal character, I must say. But there is still remedy and I call on him to remedy the situation so that everybody will have a stake in his government,” he concluded.

Generally, the fear is that President Buhari may only be interested in surrounding himself with his own people to the detriment of other zones.