•As panel apologises to Oshiomhole
•Ohanaeze insists on equal representation of geo-political zones
By Francis Onoiribholo (Benin), Emmanuel Nzomiwu (Enugu) and Christian Nwokocha (Owerri)
Chairman, National Dialogue Advisory Committee, Femi Okoruonmu (left), Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Joe Nwogu (far left), former Senate President, Ken Nnamani (second right), and former Ebonyi State Governor, Sam Egwu, during the committee's stakeholders meeting in Enugu … on Tuesday. Photo: NAN
A member of the National Dialogue Advisory Committee, Tony Nyiam, a retired Colonel, who reportedly led an assault on Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State at the Benin City parley of the committee on Monday has resigned from the panel.
Daily Independent reliably gathered on Tuesday that Nyiam resigned shortly after the meeting of the committee with stakeholders in Edo State where some participants had a scuffle with Oshiomhole.
The committee apologised to the Governor on Tuesday over the unruly behavior of Nyiam.
Following his resignation, Nyiam was conspicuously missing at the meeting of the committee with stakeholders in Enugu on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called for a legal framework for the national dialogue.
Presenting a memorandum to the advisory committee, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Gary Igariwey, said the conference should be instituted through an Act of National Assembly to ensure its legality and integrity.
Igariwey said the President should as a matter of urgency send an executive bill to the National Assembly to legalise the conference.
He said "Ndigbo welcomed this opportunity for self-assessment to put their collective experience on the sieve of a national discourse and agree to retain those aspects of our national structure that work well, restructure the obvious anomalies and finally consign to the dustbin of history the aspects that do not but instead retard our progress to national greatness."
He said Ndigbo salute the President for taking the bold decision to summon a National Conference where Nigerians will have a unified opportunity to decide how best they can live in peace, equity, unity, stability and harmony.
"We are enthused by and satisfied with the high quality of the membership of this committee and commend Mr. President."
On the composition of the dialogue/conference, Igariwey said Ohanaeze Ndigbo insists on equal representation of the six geo-political zones of the country and proposes 60 delegates from each zone, which should bring together all the ethnic nationalities, special interest groups such as women, labour unions, youth, religious groups and disabled.
The Ohanaeze helmsman warned that political parties should not be allowed to play any role in the selection of delegates, stressing that each zone should elect its delegates based on natural diversities and composition.
On the size of the conference, he said they recommend 60 delegates per zone, given a total of 360 delegates in all.
Igariwey said the issues that would be tabled at the conference that would help form the agenda should be holistic and there should be "no no-go-areas".
The advisory committee's apology to Oshiomhole was contained in a letter entitled, 'Dialogue Committee condemns unruly behaviour,' and signed by Chairman of the committee, Femi Okurounmu.
The letter said: "The Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue wants to put it on record that we noted the sad incident at today's (Monday's) interactive session with Nigerians from the South South held in Benin City, Edo State.
"The Committee wishes to state its unequivocal commitment and that of its members to the principles of democratic discourse.
"Although we take special exception to the unruly conduct of one of our members who joined the crowd in shouting down the Comrade Governor of Edo State, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, while he was giving his remarks, the session continued and ended peacefully.
"We want to emphasise that the Committee will listen to all shades of opinions in the areas of its mandates and will not henceforth condone the kind of unacceptable behavior we witnessed in Benin City.
"The Committee wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the government and people of Edo State for providing support to the Committee in its assignment in the state," the letter added.
Also reacting to the Monday's attack on Oshiomhole, All Progressives Congress (APC) described it as "sponsored disruption," saying "the despicable action has vindicated the party's decision not to be part of the proposed conference."
In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said "the committee must thoroughly be ashamed of itself that one of its members led the show of shame that was put up in Benin."
It, therefore, demanded an unreserved apology from the committee to Oshiomhole, "while the member who acted so unruly and irresponsibly must be publicly cautioned at the least or be excused from the committee."
''The truth is that in proposing the conference, the government has no sincerity of purpose, does not believe in engaging in any dialogue with anyone but itself and has only used it to distract the attention of Nigerians from the total absence of governance and sense of direction by the Jonathan administration.
''This is why we refused to participate in what is nothing but a sheer deceit. We have already been vindicated even before the start of the conference,'' APC said.
The party said since the essence of democratic discourse is for all sides to be allowed to have their say, it was wrong to have shouted down anyone because his stand does not tally with that of the committee or the organisers of the meeting.
