President Mohammed Buhari’s continued exclusion of the South-East and South-South in his key appointments has elicited the anger of some South East leaders, who described the recent appointments by the president as “gross injustice and deliberate provocation of the people of the zone.”

The National Treasurer of Ohaneze Ndigbo and a chieftain of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) , Chief Damian Ogene, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka and the Coordinator of the Concerned Youths of Eastern Nigeria, Comrade Emma Powerful have all in separate interviews faulted the latest appointments made by President Buhari saying that the appointments lacked equity.

The appointments which include the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF), Chief of Staff (COS) to the President, Comptroller Generals of Customs and Immigration among others were made public on Thursday with Northerners capping the entire strategic portfolio leaving out the entire South East.

According to Ezeonwuka, a.k.a Ogirisi-Igbo, “the appointments is a serious injustice to the people of South East that from number one person to number five in Nigeria and other juicy appointments, no Igbo man is considered worthy to be appointed . It is a very serious injustice. It is deepening and recalling the old healed wounds, to open up again.”

He asked rhetorically: “Does Buhari still believe that the people of the South East belong to Nigeria, if they would not be allowed to participate in the governance of Nigeria that they are part and parcel of?

“The appointments are wrong. Where is the Federal Character principle enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended, which he has sworn to uphold? Where is the principle of fairness, equity and justice to all manner of people and all sections of the country? How can you get only one part of the country to rule the rest of the country? Are we not one country? If we are one country, you have to balance the appointments as was done by the immediate administration.

“Some of us believe that God has sent him to do a good work, he should not derail.”

He however advised President Buhari to change from this ethnic and religious agenda to a national agenda that will foster hope and a sense of belonging for every section of the country.

On his part, the National Treasurer of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Damian Ogene, said that the point of disagreement between Ohanaeze Ndigbo and President Buhari is the exclusion of Ndigbo and indeed the entire South from his appointments.

He expressed surprise that in Buhari’s own definition of merit that qualifies his appointments, nobody from the South East including those from his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) qualify to hold a key position.

Ogene urged the President to be fair to all adding that there is no zone or state in this country where the President cannot find honest and patriotic persons that can make his merit list for appointments

In his words, “In terms of this exclusion in appointments, anywhere he goes wrong like the ones he has made so far, we will follow him and protest.”

The Coordinator of Concerned Youths of Eastern Nigeria accused Buhari of being a hater of Eastern Nigeria as has played out in his recent appointment.

He said that it was this type of appointment that spurs the youths of the Eastern Nigeria to resort to the agitation for the actualisation of Biafra.

He said: “These appointments clearly show that Buhari as a President of Nigeria does not believe in oneness of Nigeria rather pursues ethnic and religious agenda.”

•Photo shows President Buhari.

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