Barrister Oladotun Hassan has called for the arrest of Borno South Senator Ali Ndume over his tribal comment on President Bola Tinubu’s appointment. In a recent interview, the former Senate Chief Whip named the presidential appointees alongside their tribe or rather than their region.
Hassan, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, said this would be the first time such a description would be made about a presidential appointment in Nigeria. He alleged that the senator’s comment was seditious and that he should be guided.
Ndume’s criticism followed the appointment of Bayo Ojulari as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
How Ali Ndume criticised Tinubu’s appointment
Ojulari, who is from Kwara, a north-central state, was described as a Yoruba man rather than a northerner by Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South. The development led to the debate on whether Kwara is a Yoruba state or a northern state.
In his reaction, Barrister Hassan said:
“Most of these appointments are not equal; the fact that we have more Yoruba does not mean there are no Igbo, Hausa. It does not mean there are no bigger offices being manned by people from another tribe. When I saw a list being brought out by Ali Ndume, I laughed. This is just a cooked story to push an ethnic agenda. Ali Ndume should be arrested for that singular act, because that was not just to show the whole world but to nosedive the government, and that’s seditious because you’re just trying to write hatred for the government. After all, you’re not trying to write the positive side of those appointments.
“You’re just saying Yorùbá, Hausa, do you know when we last heard that from the government? We have not even heard it before, so when Ali Ndume, whom I know, is not just speaking for himself. To me, Ali Ndume is a spokesman for some evil agenda of the northern caliphate. So, he should be guided.
“I want to warn that not every time we must give room for interview that will throw us into turbulence. Some interviews are not necessary. That’s why our TV stations must be regulated properly. Look at the response from Bwala, so watery, it is just like interpersonal attrition being brought to the open. We don’t need such thing when it comes to governance, it is embarrassing. ”
Lawyer speaks on Kwara appointment
Legit.ng earlier reported that Kwara has been described as one of the unique because of its historical, cultural and regional connections.
Titilope Anifowoshe, a Kwara-born legal icon, asserted while speaking in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, adding that politicians exploit the diversity for political gains.
Anifowoshe’s comment was a reaction to Ali Ndume’s criticism of Tinubu’s appointment from Kwara, describing the appointee from the northern state as Yoruba rather than a northerner.
