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The Apex Igbo Socio Cultural Organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has cried foul over what it observed as the obvious inequality and injustice that trailed the recent appointments of members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) by President Bola Tinubu where only five, out of the 48 members, were appointed from the South-East region.
By the Principle of Federal Character, the Igbo umbrella body argued that the region (Southeast) ought to have got at least eight members, lamenting that the skewed appointments had placed the region in absolute minority in the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ohaneze Ndigbo stands for equity and justice and believes that equity and justice are fundamental prerequisites for an enduring harmonious relationship in a country such as Nigeria with many diversities and the Federal Character enshrined in our constitution is a major step towards the management of Nigeria’s many diversities,” it stated.
The Ohaneze Ndigbo President General of the Organisation, World Wide, Chief Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, in a statement in Owerri pleaded with President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to look into the case and remedy the anomaly to reflect the Principle of Federal Character.
The elder statesman also pleaded that action be taken to create a new state in the South East to address the injustice of the region having only five states.
“We have in the past few years patiently watched from people in authority deny the southeast our rights. For example, there is no explanation whatsoever for giving South East five states only whereas other Zones have six or seven states and this situation has put South East in a very serious handicap.”
Chief Iwuanyanwu noted that since many appointments are made based on equality of states, the South East, with only five states, had lost a lot of appointment opportunities, just as the region had lost a whole state legislative Assembly, House of Representatives and three Senators.
