Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to withdraw the ambassadorial nomination list currently before the Senate, alleging that its composition violates the Federal Character principle prescribed by the 1999 Constitution.
The Senate had on Thursday received the lists of career and non-career ambassadorial nominees from President Tinubu, which was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for screening.
However, Ndume, who represents Borno South, said in a statement on Saturday that the distribution of nominees was “lopsided” and failed to reflect Nigeria’s diversity as required under Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
He said while some states have as many as three or four nominees, others have none, including Gombe State.
Ndume said while Yobe’s only nominee, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, passed away in July, the entire North East secured only seven slots.
He also said a breakdown of the nominees by geo-political zones shows that some zones have been marginalised including the North East.
According to the former senate leader the imbalance contravenes the Constitution, which mandates that appointments into federal institutions must reflect Nigeria’s federal character in order to promote national unity and prevent dominance by a few states or ethnic groups.
“At this critical time in the life of his administration, President Tinubu must avoid decisions that could fuel ethnic tension or breed distrust.
“I appeal to him to withdraw the list and present a fresh set of nominees that align with the spirit of the Constitution,” he said
He added that the President, whom he described as a “cosmopolitan leader,” should ensure that all states and geopolitical zones are fairly represented to strengthen national cohesion and public confidence in his administration’s commitment to inclusiveness.
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