Federal character principle under threat —Reps member

MAURICE OKAFOR, Enugu

A House of Representatives member from Ebonyi State, Hon Linus Okorie, representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency has accused President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, of not spreading their political appointments equitably among the six geo-political zones of the country to reflect the federal character principle as enshrined in Section 14 (3) of the constitution.

He said President Buhari and the APC have violated the constitutional provision on all the appointments they have made so far since they assumed the leadership of the present political dispensation on May 29, 2015.

According to Okorie, Section 14 (3) of the constitution states, “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few state or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.”

He also accused the APC lawmakers in the National Assembly of towing the same direction of de-emphasizing the federal character principle and expressed worries that Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who is perceived as a quintessential respecter of the rule of law and constitutional provisions is leading the pack of legislators who are bent on upturning the provisions of the constitution.

Okorie stated, “His (Gbajabimila) current personal ambitions cannot justifiably account for such a dramatic somersault that seeks to turn Nigeria’s constitution on its head merely to justify a position which is clearly against the spirit and letter of the constitution.

The House of Reps member stressed without doubt that the principle of federal character enshrined in the nation’s constitution is now under threat in the current dispensation, since the few appointments already made by President Buhari do not reflect federal character.

He advised that it would be in the best interest of the nation and its constitution if Buhari redresses the error in the course of subsequent appointments, and quickly too.

Okorie faulted Gbajabiamila’s view that the House of Representatives is not an agency of federal government and that its principal officers’ positions are elective and not by appointment.

“Clearly, this cannot be interpreted to exclude the national assembly’s principal officers’ positions. All of us, including my respected colleague, Hon. Gbajabiamila have a duty not to encourage or allow the constitution to be desecrated or abused by people who are desperate for power.

Okorie pleaded with President Buhari to tread cautiously and avoid the prevalent threat of ethnic bias which only endangers trust and national cohesion that was delicately built up over the past 16 years, in particular.

“Mr. President has made nine appointments thus far and eight of the appointees are from the North, with one from the South-West. Specifically, the new Director-General of the State Security Service, Lawal Daura is from Katsina State; Acting Chairman of INEC, Hajia Amina Bala Zakari, Jigawa State; Director Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Mordecai Danteni Baba Ladan; and the new Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, Kano State.

“The appointment of Mr. President’s closest aides follows a somewhat similar pattern as the State Chief of Protocol, Mallam Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure is from Jigawa state; Aide De Camp, Lt.-Col. Muhammed Lawal Abubakar, Kano State; Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu is from Kano state; and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina is from the South-West.

“Is this probably a deliberate policy of the APC government to do away with a constitutional principle, even without amending the constitution?  It questions their intention to abide by the spirit and letters of Nigeria’s constitution, thereby directly endangering our democracy,” he stated.

Pointing out that there is ample time and hope that President Buhari can easily put things right in due course, Okorie noted that for any government to succeed, it should not limit itself to the talents from one section of the country alone.