Your lopsided appointments may cause crisis in Nigeria, retired army colonel tells buhari

A retired army colonel, Abubakar Umar has warned President Muhammed Buhari against lopsidedness in his appointments, stressing that if such continues, Nigeria risks sliding into crisis anytime

Penpushing reports that, Umar made this clear to Buhari in an open letter titled ‘Mr. President; Please Belong to All of Us’, he wrote to him on Sunday, stressing that if the President “continues to give undue preference to some sections of the country over others” in national appointments is paving way for untold crisis

The former military governor of Kaduna State, known for his frank posture on issues pointed out that the lopsidedness in  Buhari’s appointment  is more glaring in the leadership of the nation’s security services.

Penpushing further reports that, Umar pointed out to Buhari some of the actions of former Nigerian leaders whom he (Umar) said were able to rise above ethnic and sectional considerations to do what was right in the interest of the nation.

The retired military officer referred Buhari to the case of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen who was disgraced out of office on corruption charges and  had resigned from office on account of the charges and was later convicted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

The thinking among some Nigerians was that Mr Onnoghen, from Cross River, South-South Nigeria, was “hounded” out of office so that a northerner could become the CJN. After his appointment by President Buhari as acting CJN on November 10, 2016, Mr Onnoghen’s confirmation was sent to the Senate three months after not by Mr Buhari, but by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who was the acting president then. He was sworn in by Mr Osinbajo, March 7, 2017.

“You may wish to recall that I had cause to appeal to you, to confirm Justice Onnoghen as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria a few days before the expiration of his three months tenure of the acting appointment to be replaced by a Muslim Northerner,” Umar reminded Buhari

“We were saved that embarrassment when his nomination was sent to the senate by the then acting President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo. When he was finally confirmed a few days to the end of his tenure, he was removed after a few months and replaced by Justice Muhammed, a Muslim from the North,” Umar added.

“May I also invite the attention of Mr. President to the pending matter of appointment of a Chief Judge of the Nigerian Court Appeal which appears to be generating public interest. As it is, the most senior Judge, Justice Monica Dongban Mensem, a northern Christian, is serving out her second three-month term as acting Chief Judge without firm prospects that she will be confirmed substantive head’.’

“I do not know Justice Mensem but those who do attest to her competence, honesty and humility. She appears eminently qualified for appointment as the substantive Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal as she is also said to be highly recommended by the National Judicial Council’.

“If she is not and is bypassed in favor of the next in line who happens to be another northern Muslim that would be truly odd. In which case, even the largest contingent of PR gurus would struggle to rebut the charges that you, Mr. President, is either unwilling or incapable of acting on your pledge to belong to everyone — and to no one.

“I hope you would see your way into pausing and reflecting on the very grave consequences of such failure not just to your legacy but to the future of our great country,”, he further emphasized in the letter.