Like a deluge, criticisms of President M u h a m m a d u Buhari’s appointments poured from all corners and crevices yesterday, unanimously condemning, and describing them as lopsided and capable of destroying the nation’s fragile unity. The Yoruba socio- political group, Afenifere, South East Progressive Assembly, SEPA, South East Town Unions, and the Ebonyi State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), in separate statements called for an urgent review of the appointments in line with the federal character principle in the nation’s Constitution.
Rising from a meeting in Akure, Ondo State, the pan yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere faulted the appointment of the Acting Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs Amina Zakari alleging that her appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari did not follow due process and constitutional provisions guiding it. The organization therefore challenged President Buhari to revisit the appointment and ensure that the constitution is duly followed.The pro-democracy organization described Zakari’s appointment as unconstitutional and called for an immediate redress.
Zakari was recently appointed as the INEC acting Chairman by President Buhari following the exit of Professor Attahiru Jega.
The Publicity Secretary of the organization, Mr Yinka Odumakin said “the appointment of Mrs Zakari was biased and therefore, unacceptable to us as a front line ethnic organization in Nigeria.’
Afenifere therefore urged President Buhari to appoint an acceptable person as the INEC Chairman, citing the forthcoming governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Ondo states as one of the reasons.
The organization also observed that there was lopsidedness in the appointments made so far by President Buhari, stressing that “the President should be reminded of the diversity of Nigeria, and he should also know that there are credible people in other geo-political zones of the country and stop appointing only Northerners into key political offices.”
Odumakin also informed that the organization condemned what it described as ‘sole administrative’ style of President Buhari and advised the President to appoint Ministers for effective administration of the country.
However, the group lent its weight behind the anti-corruption war of President Buhari, saying “ Afenifere believes that public officers should give account of their dealings. They however, observed that “there is selectivity in the anti corruption war, as there are corrupt persons in all the political parties in the country.”
The group also bemoaned the increasing activities of the dreaded Boko Haram sect and tasked the security agencies to do more in ensuring security in all parts of the country.
In Ebonyi State, the controversy has taken a different dimension as stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, (APC) disagreed on the pattern of Mr. President’s appointments.
Former Commissioner for Information in the state and General Manager of Ebonyi Printing Corporation, Mr. Abia Onyike blasted President Buhari over his appointments so far, describing it as lopsided and empty of social content.
“Buhari has ignored the fact that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic state. He is deliberately pursuing a Northernization policy of alienating Nigeria’s two other powerful regions, the East and the West. By making such appointments he made since assuming the Presidency, he has shown that he lacks the qualities of a nationalist and patriot.
“The lopsided appointments portrayed him more as a Northern operative and a Caliphate fanatic .As it is now; the South-East and South-South have been vindicated for having viewed his electoral bid very critically. I made the observation not long ago that Buhari was waging a secret war on the Igbos”
Onyike further said “his tragic electoral performance in the South-East should have cautioned him to make friends with the East instead of becoming fiendish and jittery, and planning to annihilate the Igbos politically. He has made over 35 appointments since assuming office, and made sure nobody from South-East is there”
“Buhari should know that Nigeria is a tripod, made up of three regions .Anybody ruling Nigeria must recognize this reality in the interest of peace, equity and fairness. The creation of 19 states for the North and manipulation of census figures by successive military dictatorships headed by Northerners does not make the North superior to the other regions”
On the anti corruption war initiated by Buhari, Onyike further faulted it, describing it as another form of ethnic cleansing that would not yield any positive result other than to pursue personal vendetta against Ndigbo and perceived enemies of the federal government.
“And as of now, Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade cannot stand, because it is founded on a dubious political pedestal. Buhari wants to use the probe to emasculate his perceived political enemies-the Easterners, -while his Northern brothers will continue to retain their oil blocs in a region outside theirs. He wants to be robbing Peter to pay Paul. The resources he uses to run the Federal government and maintain the appointments he makes come from the East, and yet he robs them to settle his Northern brothers. This is economic brigandage and a more criminal level of political corruption”
The Deputy Governorship candidate of APC in Ebonyi state, Dr Steve Egbo, disagreed with the PDP and said that President Muhammadu Buhari will soon surprise the Igbos with choice appointments. Egbo, a renowned academic was reacting to the recent outbursts across the country on the president’s appointment of northerners into positions.“The Igbos and other races who feel marginalized should be patient as there were many positions still to be filled and which would surprisingly be given to them for equity sake.”
In its own reaction, the South-East Progressive Assembly (SEPA) slammed the President for shunning South-East in the appointments so far made since he assumed office as President of the country.
In a statement titled “President Buhari’s Appointment and Ndigbo” signed by the President, Mr. Ebere Uzoukwa, and made available to newsmen, in Owerri, Imo state capital yesterday, the group pointed out that the recent appointment of Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief of Staff, Comptroller General of Customs and Immigration from the northern part of the country has clearly proven that President Buhari does not have any plan to include Ndigbo in his government.
The Group however warned that total exclusion of Ndigbo at the APC-controlled federal government may resurrect the agitation for Biafra by Ndigbo.
The statement reads: “The South-East progressives Assembly (SEPA) has observed with dismay the lopsided and the glaringly non-federal character compliant appointments so far made by President Mohammed Buhari since he assumed office as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
“The most recent appointment of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief of Staff, Comptroller General of Customs, Comptroller General, Immigration, as well as Senior Special Assistants on Legislative Matters for Senate and House of Representatives from the northern part of the country has clearly proven that South East zone in the eyes of President Mohammad Buhari, is not a component of Nigeria”.
He added that, “Recall that President Buhari has vindictively disengaged about five persons from the South-East holding various plum positions in federal establishments and hurriedly replaced them with his northern kinsmen. This is even as the furore generated over the alleged appointment of his cousin, Mrs. Amina Zakari and brother, Alhaji Daura as INEC Acting Chairman and Director of Department of state Services, (DSS) respectively is still raging in the political arena.
“The deliberate exclusion of the South East from President Buhari- led federal government portends grave implications. Firstly, the resurrection of the agitation of Biafra by majority of Ndigbo. Secondly, total rejection of APC in the South-East. Thirdly, political and fatal downfall of some APC leaders in the South East.
“It is in view of the foregoing that SEPA sympathizes with our political leaders in APC that not only campaigned vigorously for President Buhari, but risked their precious lives to prevent electoral manipulation and rigging in the South East zone that could have returned the former president to office”.
The group also noted that the current action of President Buhari has disgraced his party leaders in the South-East.
South-East Town Unions, another pan Igbo socio- political group also chided Buhari, saying that it was capable of threatening the unity of Nigeria.
The group which is the umbrella body of associations of town unions in the five states of the South-East zone insisted that Buhari’s neglect of Ndigbo in his recent political appointments has given him out as a President who seems to have a score to settle with the bloc.
In a chat with journalists in Aba, one of the leaders of the group, Chief Emeka Diwe, called on the President to live by his claims that he belongs to everybody, and sees the entire nation as his constituency in making appointments.
“There is no doubt that the manner of President Buhari’s appointments is threatening the unity of Nigeria. There has been tension in the country since the appointments were made public. Everybody is agitated, except the core North. How can one explain a situation where all the appointments made by the President have been concentrated in only one zone? Buhari appears not to trust other Nigerians, and this is not good for the unity of the nation. Did Buhari mean it, when he said at his inauguration that he belongs to everybody? Recent events are proving that he didn’t mean what he said.
“Ndigbo cannot allow themselves to be marginalized in a country where they have equal, if not greater stakes than other zones. What the President has done is akin to declaring total war on Ndigbo. I totally disagree with the president and his team that the appointments were made on merit. Is he telling us that people from other sections of the country are not qualified, or cannot be trusted for appointments into these grade A positions? Buhari should change the pattern of these appointments in the interest of the nation”
Diwe who is also the President General of Association of Imo State Indigenous Town Unions, called for the building of bridges of understanding and unity among the different political and tribal groups in Nigeria.
