Tinubu’s Vendetta Against the Igbo Continues in his Cabinet

Tinubu denies the Southeast Zone its geo-political ministerial slot for voting for Peter Obi, contravening the federal character principle.

Israel Okah

President Bola Tinubu continued his persecution of the Igbo in his latest ministerial list by deliberately denying the Southeast geopolitical zone its slot in his cabinet.

Since 1999, the tradition has been to appoint 42 ministers, one each from the 36 states and one each from the six geopolitical zones. In his updated ministerial list, he only grudgingly nominated only five ministers from the Southeast, one each from the five states.

He has nominated a total of 47 ministers, five more than any other president since 1999. For the first time the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has been assigned a ministerial slot, giving it status of a state, instead of a a senatorial district.

A breakdown shows that the areas that voted Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate: South East, South-South, and North Central got the least number of ministers.

Six states of Cross River, Kano, katsina, Kebbi, Bauchi, and Niger have two ministers each while Ogun State, where Tinubu declared his Emi lokan war, was rewarded with three ministers. Every geopolitical zone had one or two ministers except the SouthEast, which got none.

South-South Zone-7

1. Akwa Ibom: Ekperikpe Ekpo
2.  Bayelsa: Heineken Lolokpobri
3.  Cross river: Betta Edu
4. Cross River: John Enoh
5. Delta: Stella Okotete
6. Edo: Abubakar Momoh
7.  Rivers: Nyesom Wike

North East Zone.-8 

1. 8 Adamawa: Tahir Mamman
2. 9 Bauchi: Yusuf M Tuggar
3. 10 Bauchi: Ali Pate
4. 11 Borno: Abubakar Kyari
5. 12 Gombe: Alkali Ahmed Saidu
6. 13 Taraba: Uba Maigari Ahmadu
7. 14 Yobe: Ibrahim Geidam
8. 15 Taraba: Sani A Danladi

North West zone-10

1. 16 Jigawa: Mohamed Badaru
2. 17 Kaduna: Nasir El-Rufai
3. 18 Kano: Maryam Shetti
4. 19 Kano: Abdullahi T Gwarzo
5. 20 Katsina: Ahmad Dangiwa
6. 21 Katsina: Hanatu Musawa
7. 22 Kebbi: Yusuf Tanko Sununu
8. 23 Kebbi: Atiku Bagudu
9. 24 Sokoto: Bello M Goronyo
10. 25 Zamfara: Bello Matawalle

South East Zone.-5

1. 26 Abia: Nkiru Onyejiocha
2. 27 Anambra: Uju Ohaneye
3. 28 Ebonyi: David Umahi
4. 29 Enugu: Uche Nnaji
5. 30 Imo: Doris Uzoka

South West Zone-9

1. 31 Ekiti: Dele Alake
2. 32 Lagos: Tunji Alausa
3. 33 Lagos: Lola Ade John
4. 34 Ogun: Ishak Salako
5. 35 Ogun: Bosun Tijjani
6. 36 Ogun: Olawale Edun
7. 37 Ondo: Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo
8. 38 Osun: Adegboyega Oyetola
9. 39 Oyo: Adebayo Adelabu

North Central Zone-8

1. 40 Benue: Joseph Utsev
2. 41 FCT: Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo
3. 42 Kogi: Shuaibu A Audu
4. 43 Kwara: Lateef Fagbemi
5. 44 Nasarawa: Imaan S-Ibrahim
6. 45 Niger: Mohammed Idris
7. 46 Niger: Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi
8. 47 Plateau: Simon Lalong

SE-5, SS-7, NC-8, NE-8, SW-9, NW-10.

Former President, Muhammadu Buhari’s policy of intentional marginalisation of the Igbo on account of how they voted during the 2015/2019 Presidential elections led the IPOB crisis in the Southeast.

The hope was that Tinubu will end insecurity in the Southeast by releasing Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader, and treating the Igbo fairly, as stipulated in the Federal Character principle. His actions since May 29 suggests that he will continue the marginalisation of the Southeast at a greater.

Tinubu appointed about 50 aides without anyone from the Southeast, suggesting he does not want any Igbo near his regime. This was followed by the nomination of 47 ministers with the Southeast getting only five, the least of the six political zones.

Some critics argue that he wants to destabilise the Southeast further through such punitive actions to instigate increased violence in the Southeast. He has also refused to release IPOB leader, despite the court ruling discharging him.