• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Reps ask Buhari to obey federal character in appointment of FCC chair, secretary

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The House of Representatives Thursday asked President Muhamadu Buhari to adhere to the federal character principle in the appointments of the chairman and secretary of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

Buhari had in April appointed Muheeba Dankaka from Kwara State (North-central) as FCC chairman while Muhammad Tukur from Taraba State (North-East) was re-appointed for the second term, making both appointees from the Northern region of the country.

But the House while adopting a motion sponsored by Unyime Idem (PDP, Akwa Ibom) at plenary, urged the Federal Government to comply with the principle of Federal Character on appointments and mandated the Committee on Federal Character to ensure compliance.

Moving the motion, Idem said in compliance with the resolution of the House dated February 25, 2020, the President, on April 28, 2020, appointed the Chairman and Commissioners of FCC while Secretary of the commission was re-appointed by the President on 7 April 2021 for a second term.

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He argued that the current chairman of the commission and the re-appointed secretary are from the same zone even as FCC is one of the agencies of the Federal Government with the responsibility to promote, monitor, and enforce compliance with the principles of the proportional sharing of all bureaucratic, economic, and political positions at all levels of government.

The lawmaker also pointed out the principle of federal character, as contained in the Act governing the commission, to the effect that leadership positions must be equally distributed between zones.