Nigerian leaders committed to political liquidation of Igbos – Abia Onyeike
Ben Ezechime, Enugu, with Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has continued to receive more criticisms for under-representation of the South-East geo-political zone in his ministerial nominees.
While the President gave North-West 10 slots followed by his South-West with nine slots, he only gave a paltry five slots to the South-East.
The other three geo-political zones got eight slots respectively.
Some stakeholders in Enugu and Ebonyi states, South-East Nigeria, have accused the President of bias against the zone.
Mr John Nwobodo, a Lawyer and governorship candidate of Accord Party in the last election said that the lopsided appointment was not only unfair but failed to meet the constitutional requirement of fair representation by geopolitical zones.
He said that the Nigerian constitution required that each geopolitical zone should have additional one nominee consideration which the President had not followed.
“The law says each state of the federation must nominate one Minister. Thereafter, the President should pick one additional slot from each geopolitical zone.
“But here, we have three ministerial zonal slots from two geo-political zones and two from another three geopolitical zones but none from the South-East,” he said.
Nwobodo said this was a violation of the constitution and absolutely unfair to the people of South-East zone.
He appealed to the President to do the needful by further nominating at least one additional minister from the zone to balance the equation and give the zone a sense of belonging.
Speaking also, the Coordinator of Enugu Lawyers for Good Governance, Barrister Justice Nwabueze, said he was not surprised by the snubbing of the South-East by the President.
He said it was preconceived as all indications had shown that the present administration was not friendly with the Igbos.
“Of course you don’t expect the present administration to be fair to the South-East because they didn’t vote it,” he said.
Weighing in on the matter, a female politician, Mrs Ann Okeke, advised the President to have a rethink.
She said that having been sworn in as Nigeria’s President, he (Tinubu) should know that the whole Nigeria “is now his primary constituency.”
“By neglecting a section of the country means he is showing discrimination and this is not good for a President of a country,” she said.
In Ebonyi State, a politician and social critic, Chief Abia Onyike, described the action of the President as regrettable.
He wondered why other zones should have more Ministers than the South-East.
He accused Nigeria’s leaders of a grand ploy to relegate the South-East to the background politically.
“It is highly regrettable that President Tinubu decided to showcase the South-East as a geopolitical zone to be marginalised in his current administration.
“This type of experimentation is difficult to explain. Ministerial appointment is based on federal character. Why should other zones have nine to ten ministers while the South East-East was specially marked out for marginalisation.
“That shows us that the rulers of Nigeria have a hidden or secret agreement to subject the Ndigbo to such political degradation.
“Whether the leaders are from the North or the South-West, they share in this common mentality. They are all committed to Igbo liquidation in Nigerian politics.
“Despite their claims to sophistication, the Yoruba bourgeoisie have shown that they also suffer from Igbophobia,” Mr Abia added.
Similarly, a Public Affairs Analyst, Mr Kingsley Ikenna said “though there is a plot to marginalise Ndigbo, they will one day rise up and take their rightful place.”
“Nothing is permanent in life. The Jews were enslaved in Egypt for 430 years but when God moved from His throne, they were freed. The political marginalisation of Ndigbo will end one day,” he said.
