Appointment of federal universities’ Governing Councils against constitution –Ex-presidential aide

Obono-Obla Okoi, a former presidntial aide, has said that the appointment of the federal universities’ Governing Councils is against constitution. 

Okoi stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Monday.

On Sunday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, former Bauchi Governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, and former INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, among others to serve in the newly constituted federal universities’ governing councils.

Commentijg, Okoi said that federal character must be respected to make the appointment lawful.

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Okoi said, “It was an unmitigated disaster and I will call it a blatant breach of the principle of the federal character as initiated in the constitution.

“Section 14 sub section 3 of the constitution stated that appointments by government must reflect the federal character so that it will promote national unity and command loyalty.

“This is to ensure that the government is not hijacked by any group or a state. We practise federalism. Different groups came together to form a union. Every group in that society is given a sense of belonging.

“Thirty two persons were appointed from the state where the Minister of Education came from, while Oyo State has only two and Bayelsa has five. Cross Rivers has six. Niger has five. But a state where a principal office of the National Assembly comes from in the South South was given four slots.

“Why will this happen in a country where we have a constitution and provisions that the federal character should be respected?”