FCT indigenes protest, petition Lawan over exclusion from cabinet

By Tunde Opalana, Abuja

Indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have protested the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a ministerial nominee from the territory.

The people under the aegis of the Coalition of FCT Indigenous Associations have therefore, petitioned Senate President Ahmad Lawan on what it termed the gross violation and utter disregard for the constitution in the appointment of ministers by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The coalition said the advocacy on the inclusion of an FCT native has been a loud agitation and wish to inform the National Assembly as the people’s assembly to wade into its ceaseless calls to the President to appoint one of its own into the highest decision-making council in the country.

In the letter, the leader of the Coalition, Ezekiel Dalhatu Musa said Nigeria by the inactions of President Buhari has once again joined the league of totalitarian states.

He said that “recall that the non-inclusion of an FCT native in the ministerial appointments since our current democratic dispensation has been a matter of national discourse with some citing constitutional lacuna as the factor responsible for the non-appointment of an FCT native as minister into the federal executive council while we as natives have never enjoined such school of thought as the barrier hindering our political inclusion and democratization of the FCT.

“Even though our belief holds that the President can appoint any of us as a minister into his cabinet requires just political will and demonstration of equity and fairness to the Abuja original inhabitants, we have gone legally and lawfully to garner more constitutional backing by challenging the perceived lacuna and a Court of Appeal which is of competent jurisdiction to hear this matter.

“It granted judgement mandating the President to as a matter of justice appoint an FCT native immediately into his cabinet since January 15, 2018 and while the President has been served this judgement by the Court of Appeal since March 22, 2018, but yet the President has not complied with the judgement.”

The people sought the intervention of the Senate to come to their aid because of the perceived hatred against them from the President who is supposed to be a father to all.

They added that the appointment of an FCT native into the federal executive council as minister will not tear nor under-develop the country, but will rather enrich and strengthen democratic belief as a nation.