Senator Stella Oduah, lawmaker representing Anambra North Senatorial district has given insight on why Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe seems to be the only one always speaks for the Igbo in the Senate.
Senator Oduah stated this while reacting to numerous aspersions cast on the Eastern senators by their Constituents for not speaking up on various issues.
She said it’s disheartening to read comments by the Easterners accusing Igbo lawmakers, especially those in the opposition of not lending their voices when it comes for pressing issues against the Southern people in general.
Oduah, a former aviation minister said the issue there, is a communication gap between the people and how the national assembly works.
According to a statement she posted on her Twitter page, Senator Oduah said the people needs to understand that Senator Abaribe is the Eastern opposition leader in the Senate, hence whatever he said is in agreement with other senators in the region.
Using Abaribe’s statement on the comment made by Abubakar Malami (SAN) on the issue of ban in open grazing in the Southern region, Senator Oduah said, Abaribe’s counter statement is in agreement with other opposition Eastern senators.
She wrote…
“There is a need for our people to understand how the National Assembly works to avoid the often false categorizations of those who make wild and denigrating statements against lawmakers.
“Recently the Distinguished Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe issued a statement against that ill advised statement of Abubakar Malami SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation, where he sought to draw false equivalences between Herdsmen who invade farmlands, leaving them wasted and desecrated and spare parts traders who legitimately own properties and go about their businesses without encroaching or doing anything to cause dissafection between their host communities.
“It is sad to note that ever since Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe gave that well considered response, a section of our people have been attacking other southern senators for not following suit but may I remind them that the Nigerian Senate is an institution with clear cut leadership structures?
“Our people need to realize that Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe is the leader of the opposition at the National Assembly and for him to speak, we all had to meet and agree on a position.
“His position as our leader entails that whatever he says, echoes our collective thoughts and as our leader, it behoves on him to do the needful.
“I am by this pleading with our people to be fair to us and avoid this practice of pigeonholing us for we toil day and night to ensure your voices are heard at the center which is exactly what our able leader, Senator Abaribe is currently doing.
