Former Imo Reps member warns against politicising SEDC

A former member of the House of Representatives from Imo State, Hon. Tony Nwulu, has cautioned political leaders and stakeholders in the South-East against actions that could undermine the South East Development Commission (SEDC), stressing that the agency must not become a victim of political rivalry.

Nwulu made the appeal in an article titled, “SEDC Must Not Become a Casualty of Politics,” in which he reflected on the importance of the commission and called for collective support to ensure its success.

The former lawmaker said the SEDC was established to tackle decades of infrastructure deficits, environmental degradation, economic dislocation, and youth unemployment in the South-East, adding that the region had waited too long for the intervention to be jeopardised by political interests.

“The South East waited for decades for the establishment of the South East Development Commission (SEDC). It was conceived not as a political trophy, but as a strategic intervention to address years of infrastructure deficits, economic dislocation, environmental degradation, youth unemployment, and the developmental challenges confronting our region,” he stated.

Nwulu expressed concern over recent public exchanges involving the Managing Director of the commission, Mark Okoye, and the Senate Committee on SEDC, noting that while legislative oversight remains an essential component of democratic governance, there were concerns among people in the region that the boundary between accountability and public humiliation was becoming increasingly blurred.

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According to him, no public official should be exempt from scrutiny, but oversight processes should be conducted in a manner that strengthens rather than weakens public institutions.

“There is a significant difference between demanding accountability and creating an atmosphere that appears designed to ridicule, diminish, or politically weaken an institution that is still finding its feet. The South East cannot afford to destroy its own institutions before they mature,” he said.

Defending the leadership of the commission, Nwulu argued that Okoye inherited the challenge of building a new institution from the ground up, rather than taking over an already established agency with existing systems and structures.

“Mark Okoye did not inherit a fully established development commission with decades of systems, personnel, and institutional memory. He inherited a mandate. He inherited expectations. He inherited the burden of transforming an idea into a functioning institution capable of delivering meaningful development to millions of people,” he stated.

The former federal legislator said institution-building requires patience, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and broad-based support from political leaders committed to the region’s development.

He also questioned why development institutions created for the South-East often face intense opposition from within the region, noting that similar commissions elsewhere are generally viewed as vehicles for advancing collective interests rather than arenas for political contestation.

Nwulu warned that prolonged public confrontations surrounding the commission could have wider implications for the region by discouraging investors, eroding public confidence, and weakening the credibility of the agency.

“The unfortunate reality is that the damage is not done to Mark Okoye alone. The damage is done to investor confidence. The damage is done to public trust. The damage is done to the credibility of the commission. Most importantly, the damage is done to the developmental aspirations of the South East,” he said.

While acknowledging the constitutional responsibility of senators to conduct oversight of government agencies, Nwulu urged political leaders to ensure that such engagements contribute to institutional growth rather than becoming platforms for political spectacle.

He called on stakeholders across the South-East to rally behind the commission and focus on its mandate of driving development in the region.

“The SEDC must not become another casualty of political rivalry. The commission belongs neither to Mark Okoye nor to any political office holder. It belongs to the people of the South East. Its success belongs to all of us. Its failure would affect all of us,” he said.

Nwulu, who is also the Director-General of the Youth in Parliament Forum, maintained that the people of the South-East were more concerned about tangible development outcomes than political disputes.

According to him, residents of the region expect the commission to deliver critical infrastructure, attract investments, create jobs, establish industries and technology hubs, and empower young people.

“As stakeholders in the future of our region, we must resist every tendency that turns oversight into spectacle and governance into entertainment.

The success of the South East Development Commission should be a collective project. The region has waited too long for anything less,” he added.