Ohanaeze Mulls Court Action Against FG Over Alleged Lopsided Appointment 

THE Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has said that it plans on approaching a court to address the alleged shortchanging of the Southeast region in federal appointments under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu stated this to newsmen in Owerri on Tuesday.

Iwuanyanwu explained that the court action would determine if the style of appointment by the federal government was constitutional.

The Ohanaeze chieftain lamented that the inequality manifested in the federal appointments has made the southeast handicapped.

He, however, noted that the court action will be the last option if the federal government does not rectify the “obvious inequality and injustice” in its appointments.”

According to Iwuanyanwu, “Ohanaeze is concerned about the obvious inequality and injustice manifested in the recent appointment of members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) All together forty-eight (48) members were appointed and sworn in; only five were appointed from the Southeast. By the principle of Federal Character South-East ought to have gotten at least 8 ministers. This action has put the South-East in an absolute minority in the Federal Executive Council.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo stands for equity and justice. Ohanaeze Ndigbo believes that equity and justice are fundamental prerequisites for an enduring harmonious relationship in a country such as Nigeria with much diversity. The federal character enshrined in our constitution is a major step towards the management of Nigeria’s many diversities.

“We have in the past few years watched some people in authority deny the South-East our rights. For example, there is no explanation whatsoever for giving South-East five states only whereas other zones have six or seven states. This situation has put the South-East in a very serious handicap. For example, many appointments are made based on the equality of states. On this premise, South-East have lost a lot of appointment opportunities.”

“Some of the reasons given by some political leaders is that the South-East did not vote for them during their elections. In the course of the trial by the judiciary, Nigerians will be told clearly whether denial of opportunities should be regarded as legitimate punishment for a group who did not vote for a political leader.

“If the federal government fails to respond positively to this request Ohanaeze Ndigbo will have no choice than to go to court to seek for proper interpretation of our constitution.”

Eighteen-Eleven Media