Ex-Presidential Aide Criticizes Appointment of Federal Universities’ Governing Councils

• Obono-Obla Okoi criticized recent federal university council appointments as unconstitutional, violating the federal character principle in Section 14(3)
• Okoi highlighted unfair representation, noting one state had 32 appointees while others had significantly fewer, questioning the appointments’ fairness

Obono-Obla Okoi, a former presidential aide, has declared that the recent appointments to federal universities’ governing councils violate the constitution. He voiced his concerns during an interview on Monday on Channels TV’s Politics Today.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently appointed several prominent figures, including former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, former Bauchi Governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, and former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to serve on the newly formed federal universities’ governing councils.

Okoi argued that the appointments failed to respect the constitutional requirement for federal character, making them unlawful.

“It was an unmitigated disaster and a blatant breach of the principle of federal character as enshrined in the constitution,” Okoi stated. “Section 14, subsection 3 of the constitution mandates that government appointments must reflect the federal character to promote national unity and command loyalty.”

Okoi emphasized that this principle ensures no single group or state dominates the government, preserving the federal structure in which different groups form a union and each is given a sense of belonging.

He highlighted disparities in the recent appointments, noting, “Thirty-two persons were appointed from the state of the Minister of Education, while Oyo State has only two, Bayelsa has five, Cross River has six, and Niger has five. A state with a principal office of the National Assembly from the South-South received four slots.”

Okoi questioned the fairness of these appointments, asking, “Why is this happening in a country with a constitution that mandates respect for federal character?”

His critique underscores the importance of adhering to constitutional principles to ensure equitable representation and maintain national unity.