By Kolawole Ojebisi
The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has berated President Bola Tinubu for what he called alleged lopsidedness in appointments into his administration.
Ndume claimed that Tinubu grossly violated federal character principle in making most of his political appointments
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Monday, the lawmaker accused the President of flouting the constitutional requirement for balanced representation in government appointments.
Ndume pointed to Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that political appointments reflect the country’s diversity.
“The figures are there. You can look at the figures. I sent you one. I sent you figures. It’s not that I’m just making accusations. And it’s not that I’m saying, well, the president has no right to do that kind of thing.
“But it’s a constitutional provision. Section 13, I mean, Section 14 (3) of the constitution is very, very clear,” he said.
The senator added that the current appointments fail to align with the federal character principle as outlined by law.
“When you look at it vis-a-vis the appointments made so far, and there are political appointments, the constitution is very clear.
“It is because of avoiding such infractions that the constitution clearly states that appointments, especially political appointments, should reflect the federal character, and that is not the case here.
“And all I am saying is to call the attention of Mr President to such infractions so that it can be corrected; otherwise, you know, these things can boomerang at a certain period of time”, Ndume stated.
Ndume, a senior member of the National Assembly, clarified that his comments were not meant as a personal attack on the President but rather a duty tied to his role as a lawmaker.
“I know, as you rightly say, people look at me as somebody that is critical of the government. I have the right to do that in the first place. And in fact, that’s why I’m in the National Assembly in the first place.
“Collectively, we are supposed to oversight the acts of Mr President and point out some of these irregularities. That is what we swore to do. It’s not personal”, he added.
Addressing potential backlash for his remarks, Ndume remained resolute.
“Each one of us will stand before God, and God will ask him to account for what he is responsible for. Besides, we are all in this government. What will we tell our people? When you have these figures out, it is already viral, it is already in circulation.
“But you know what, after this interview, those attack dogs or maga-dogs will start attacking Ndume, not the message.
“It is not about Ndume or me being a senator. As a Nigerian, I have the right to voice out all these things. Not only that, I have the right to even protest. I have the right. That is guaranteed by the constitution. But from tomorrow, those so-called Tinubu boys or people will start attacking Ndume. These are the facts”, the lawmaker said.
Ndume has been a vociferous critic of the Tinubu administration despite sharing the same political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the presidmt
