African press review 2 September 2015

The African press examines the appointments made by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari last week.

We start in Nigeria where Punch headlines on a petition filed at the Federal High Court by a lawyer seeking the nullification of appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari. The case filed by lawyer Marcel Dim-Udebuani states that the 25 top appointments made so far by the president were in breach of the spirit of federal character enshrined in section 14 (3) of 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to Punch, Buhari’s latest appointments announced last week have drawn strong criticism from many Nigerians who accused the president of appointing mainly people from the northern part of the country.

Buhari, who hails from Katsina State in the north-west geo-political zone of the country, picked Babachir David Lawal from Adamawa State as the secretary to the government of the federation. He also named Abba Kyari from Borno State as his chief of staff.

In an affidavit in support of the originating summons, the plaintiff said the president’s nine initial appointees are mainly from the north: the director-general of state services, acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the director of the Department of Petroleum Resources, the accountant-general of the federation, the pPresident’s chief security officer, state chief of protocol, and the senior special assistant on media and publicity.

Barrister Dim-Udebuani reportedly argues that it would be “in the best interest of justice and promotion of rule of law that the alleged lopsided appointments should be discouraged by granting all the prayers before the court”.

Vanguard highlights claims by Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose that President Buhari has an agenda for a deliberate “nothernisation of Nigeria”. According to the paper, Fayose described Buhari’s appointments as tainted in ethnic and tribal colouration, warning that Nigeria’s unity will be under threat if the ethnic diversity of the country is not respected in the administration.

The Nigerian Tribune also lays out the grounds on which Dim-Udebuani is suing President Buhari: That the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country for all the citizens, south-east inclusive; that the second defendant is a creation of constitution of the constitution; and that the entire five states that make up the south-east geo-political zone have had no appointment yet.

And The Guardian says the storm over the Buhari appointments has sparked a dispute at the National Elections Commission. Buhari appointed Amina Bala Zakari as chair of the independent body in place of Ambassador Abubakar Wali, the choice of former chairman Professor Atahiru Jega, who steps down after the expiration of his five-year tenure.

According to paper, the executive decision has however attracted many condemnations, especially from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party who alleged that Zakari is to be used to rig snap elections scheduled in the Kogi and Bayelsa States. The former ruling party points to an allegedly “strong relationship” existing between Amina Bala Zakari and Buhari, further buoyed by claims that Zakari is actually Buhari’s in-law.