Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, on Thursday appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the list of ambassadorial nominees already forwarded to the Senate for screening, citing alleged violation of the Federal Character principle as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, made the call in Abuja after observing what he described as serious imbalances in the distribution of nominees across the six geopolitical zones.
According to him, while some states have as many as three or four nominees on the list, others such as Gombe State have no representation at all. He further noted that Yobe State currently has no nominee following the death of its only representative, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, in July.
A breakdown of the list shows that the North East has seven nominees, while the South West alone has fifteen. The North West has thirteen nominees, the South East nine, the North Central ten, and the South South twelve nominees across both career and non career ambassadorial categories.
Ndume stated that the list, as presently constituted, contravenes Section 14 subsection 3 of the Constitution, which mandates that the composition of government and its agencies must reflect the federal character of Nigeria to promote national unity and loyalty.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical time, he should avoid missteps that could endanger national unity and promote ethnic distrust,” he said.
He added that the President is known as a cosmopolitan leader with national outlook and should present a fresh list that aligns with constitutional provisions.
“He should withdraw the list and submit a new one that reflects the diversity of states and peoples of Nigeria in line with the Federal Character principle,” Ndume said.
