The South East geopolitical Zone’s opinion leaders are crying foul over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ostensible marginalisation of the zone in his appointment of the cabinet members of his administration
By Udoka Ekeleme
The South East socio-cultural organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Imeobi Igbo Forum, the South East Senate Caucus and numerous other South East groups and opinion leaders have risen to condemn in strong terms what they regard as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s marginalisation plot against the Igbo of the South East following the administration’s snobbish treatment of the zone in its ministerial appointment.
On Monday, August 21, 2023, President Tinubu inaugurated 45 ministerial appointees in Abuja at a swearing in ceremony and handed them various portfolios.
Notably, only five ministers were from the South East Zone representing exactly the five states of the region. The Constitution stipulates the appointment of at least one minister from each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Having fulfilled this constitutional requirement in the appointment of his cabinet ministers, President Tinubu went further to allocate additional ministerial slots to the other five regions of North West, North East, North Central, South West and South South with the exclusion of South East in the additional allocation. Consequently, President Tinubu’s South West region with six states got nine ministers, South South also got additional one slot to clinch seven slots.
In the Northern region, North West with seven states got nine slots, as North East and North Central with six states each were allocated seven and eight ministers respectively.
In reaction to the perceived marginalisation of the South East Igbo in the ministerial appointment, the 15 Senators representing the zone under the aegis of the South East Senate Caucus have taken their protest against the anomaly to the Senate where the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, had promised he would take up their protest with the president.
The Senate had screened and confirmed persons soon to be appointed ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. A total of 45 ministerial nominees out of 48 sent to them by President Tinubu were confirmed. From the number of ministerial nominees confirmed by the Senate, South East region has the least number.
Tony Nwoye, who represents Anambra North, made the position of the South East 15 Senators from the zone known via a motion he attempted to move at the last plenary of the Senate but was however appealed to by the Senate President to hold it, promising that the leadership of the Senate would meet the President on the issue.
On their part, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reacted to the perceived marginalisation arguing that, “In the appointment, the South East has only five ministers while some other zones have nine (9) and even ten (10) ministers. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo feels that it is unfair and unjust. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo believes in one united Nigeria and this can only be achieved in an atmosphere of fairness, justice and equity. We therefore demand justice, fairness and equity for every ethnic group in Nigeria including the Igbo”.
Also, in his own reaction, former Civilian Governor of Anambra state, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife decried what he described as obvious continuation of marginalisation of Ndigbo by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
He said although it is still too early to access the level of Tinubu’s marginalisation of Ndigbo, his appointments so far have shown that he might turn out to be the worst among the previous administrators in terms of Igbo marginalisation.
Similarly, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South west region Segun Showunmi, condemned in strong terms the manner of Tinubu’s appointments so far, stating clearly that he has not been fair to the South East zone.
Speaking recently on Channels Television, Showunmi said, “You know I am a Yoruba man. Ironically, I have known Asiwaju for years. So there must be some kind of soft spot there. But I have tried very hard to say let’s wait until hundred days. Why? Because there is a tradition and culture of let them take hundred days to settle down.
“But unfortunately for this administration, they have done quite a lot of things that could be considered as serious missteps. And they have done it in such a brazen and hurried manner that people are now forced to say no.
“There are 200 million people in this country. I have looked at the people he is putting together. I am a little bit uncomfortable with the fact that, if I may be honest with you, both of us Yoruba men, it is beginning to seem that our people will get the best of the cherries. I can tell you the things we have already gotten and the things we are likely to get.
“We are in charge of customs; we are in charge of police; we are in charge of army; we are in charge of CBN; we are in charge of FIRS; we are in charge of taxation; we are in charge of appropriation.
“Have we become such a people that we can only be fair when we are talking about other people? We have begun to see a pattern that all of the cream is coming to us. And what we would not accept from former President Buhari, who was fairer to us than he was to his people, we must be brave enough to say that this is not even the right thing for us. We are not suddenly going to become parochial people.
“Does it not prick your soul that you’re putting ten in one place; nine in one place; seven in one place and five in one place? And you are giving the South East five. I can tell you for free, there’s no mental capacity, validation, education, authentication that you are looking for in the world that you would not find Ndigbo, either in Nigeria or in the Diaspora. Why is it now you are telling me that you can only get five from them? These are the issues”.
The former Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, has lamented the injustice and urged President Bola Tinubu to address the issue urgently. “It is unbelievable how the President can find nine competent people to serve as ministers in North West, eight in the South West and only five in South East in spite of monumental presence of high caliber, knowledgeable people both at home and in the Diaspora from South East. The point has been made to let the President know that it is not fair to appoint only five persons from South East while some geopolitical zones have as many as nine.
“It is a sad commentary and not the best for a President who has promised that he has come to unite the country and that he will not marginalise anybody”, Nwodo said.
Imeobi Igbo also condemned the marginalisation. In his reaction, Dr. Mike Ikegulu, National President of Imeobi Igbo Forum, a socio-political organization, said, “I must emphasize at this juncture that Tinubu’s administration might turn out to be the worst among the previous administrations, both civilian and military in terms of as has been reflected in his appointments and ministerial nominations so far”.
