Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South at the National Assembly, has publicly criticized President Bola Tinubu for allegedly disregarding the principle of federal character in his political appointments, okay.ng reports.
Senator Ndume expressed his disapproval, stating that President Tinubu’s appointments fail to reflect the diversity and inclusiveness mandated by Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution. He argued that the President’s actions undermine the constitutional provision that requires equitable representation of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic and regional groups in government compositions.
“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,” Ndume asserted. “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 emphasized that the constitution explicitly states that political appointments should reflect federal character to avoid such infractions, which he claims is not happening. “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 warned.
The ranking senator insisted that his remarks were not a personal attack on the President but a fulfillment of his constitutional responsibility. “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,” he said. “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.
