The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, has tasked those who participate in the process of executive and judicial appointments in the country, especially individuals and bodies saddled with the responsibility of making recommendations to the President “to ensure compliance with both the eligibility criteria, as well as the federal character principle.”
The committee said this would help the Buhari administration to guard against lopsidedness, which has become its Hallmark, in its subsequent appointments to all the arms of government in the country.
The Chairman of the Senate panel, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, sounded the warning during the screening of Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, as Chief Judge designate of High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He insisted that the provision of Section 14, Sub-section (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered), as it affects the issue of federal character, must be adhered to at all times.
He said, “The need for merit and compliance in the consideration of citizens for an appointment, including the ones that will come before the Senate for confirmation, must be re-emphasised for the record.
“In addition to ensuring that potential appointees meet the eligibility criteria stipulated for the relevant public offices into which they are being appointed, adequate care must also be taken to ensure that the federal character principle established by virtue of the clear provision of Section 14, Sub-section (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered) is not undermined.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the above-cited Constitutional provision clearly states that:
“(3) 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 to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
He said it was “to avoid unnecessarily heating up the polity and eroding the unity and strength of our country and in the process, weakening the foundation of our country as well as the hope of its federating units.”
Bamidele said, “We have an extremely bright and exciting future in one indivisible and indissoluble nation that is propelled by unity in diversity and all hands must be on deck to ensure this aspiration is guided jealously.
“This shall remain our guiding principle in the 9th Senate under Senator Ahmad Lawan’s watch as we continue to guard jealously the spirit and letters of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which we all swore to protect in the overriding public and national interests.
“May I also add that it is not only morally and politically correct to ensure compliance with Section 14 (3) of our Constitution, establishing the federal character principle.
“It is, in fact, a fundamental obligation imposed on Government and all its functionaries as contained in the preceding Section 13 of the said 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered), which unequivocally states that:
“It shall be the duty and responsibility of all organs of government, and of all authorities and persons, exercising legislative, executive or judicial powers, to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of this Chapter of this Constitution.
“Need we to say more?”
