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Following the allegation of nepotism leveled against President Muhammadu Buhari by Bishop Matthew Kukah, discussions on which zones have the most representation in the president’s appointment have resurfaced again.
This piece provides a breakdown of President Buhari’s 190 political appointees as recently reported by Premium Times and Daily Trust.
Both newspapers cited a document from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Zone by zone breakdown
1. Southwest – 64 appointees
2. Northwest – 37 appointees
3. Northeast – 29 appointees
4. South-south – 24 appointees
5. North-central – 21 appointees
6. Southeast zone – 15 appointees
At the state level, Ogun state has the highest number of political appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari since his re-election in 2019 holding 17 out of a total 190 appointments at the time the report was filed.
See breakdown by states. The top five
1. Ogun state – 17
2. Adamawa state – 14
3. Lagos – 12
4. Oyo – 12
5. Kano – 12
Breakdown: South versus North
1. Southern zone (17 states) – 103 appointees
2. Northern zone (19 states) – 87 appointees
It was gathers that all the appointees serve in the offices of the president, vice president, the First Lady and the wife of the vice president.
Premium Times notes that the document from the office of the SGF did not include appointments made by the president to the boards and management of federal ministries (permanent secretaries), agencies and parastatals.
It did not also contain ambassadorial appointments as well as those of the nation’s security agencies.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians, particularly opposition politicians, claimed the president’s appointments violated the Federal Character Principle.
Section 13, subsection (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that ”the composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also command national loyalty”.
While the presidency and other (pro-Buhari) Nigerians have repeatedly countered the claim, the issue resurfaced again on Sunday, May 31, when Colonel Dangiwa Umar (Rtd), a former governor of Kaduna state, also alleged that President Buhari’s appointments were skewed in favour of the north.
