The Kaduna State polity is astir following President Muhammadu Buhari’s listing of Mrs Amina Mohammed as the ministerial nominee from the state. She is said to be from Gombe by birth but her husband is from Kaduna State.
Leading politicians from Kaduna have vowed to kick against Mrs Mohammed’s appointment claiming that she is not from the state.
Among those who ventilated their grouse yesterday are Senator Danjuma La’ah, Kaduna South Senatorial District; Hon. Jonathan Asake, former Reps member (Zangon Kataf/Jaba Federal Constituency) and immediate past Sole Administrator of Zangon Kataf Local Council; Barr. James Kanyip, former Kaura Local Council Chairman and Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, immediate past Deputy Governor of Kaduna State.
We ‘ve more competent indigenes than Amina — Senator La’ah
Speaking on the issue, Laáh, who had earlier opposed Mohammed’s nomination in the Senate, said: ‘’What I can tell you for now, even as a Senator of the Federal Republic, is that I am not sure under which state Amina Mohammed is coming from. But, there is one thing I want to tell you that I shall do. I want to assure you that if she comes under the nomination of Kaduna State, we shall reject her at the Senate. She is not from Kaduna state. There is no shortage of deeply educated and equally, if not more, qualified indigenes of Kaduna State that can do any ministerial job that Amina can do. We have them both in the state and all over the world. In any case, I cannot see the President messing up to the extent of violating the constitution to the point of excluding Kaduna state from producing a minister. I don’t believe it. But if it happens, we shall insist he does the right thing because that is the right thing to do.’’
Its a big insult, we shall resist it – Hon. Asake
Asake said: “There have been conflicting media reports on whether Amina Mohammed ministerial nomination came under Kaduna or Gombe State. But, one thing is certain. The woman is not an indigene of Kaduna State. If it is true that she was nominated to fill Kaduna state quota, then it is a slight on the Constitution and the President must act fast to reverse it. If it is also true that her nomination was the handiwork of Governor Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State, then I think he is taking the people of this state into a rough ride.
“It will surprise no one in the state if El Rufai insisted on this nomination going by the way he has made Kaduna state a no-man’s-land. It is only El Rufai that has more non-indigenes as political appointees than indigenes. In fact, his bent on excluding indigene is so fervent that he even included a non-indigene, Jimi Lawal, his aide on Investment. And we know that Jimi Lawal and El Rufai faced sanctions from the Senate when El Rufai was FCT Minister. The man is from Ogun State. There are many of them like that taking the jobs of Kaduna state indigenes when the same is not accorded us in other states.
‘’It a big insult on Kaduna state because we are the most educated and elitist state in the North. If it is true that he is behind her nomination, he must rescind the decision because this time, people are ready to use every legal instrument to enforce their rights as indigenes. Our nominated Minister must be an indigene of Kaduna state, preferably from the Southern part of the state, because it is that area that has been over cheated in his political appointments.”
It is an act of corruption – Barr. Kanyip
Kanyip said: “If it is true that Amina Mohammed is coming in to stand as Minister under Kaduna state, and everyone knows that she is never an indigene of this state, then it will amount to a shocking violation of the constitution. The Constitution says every state must have a Minister who is an indigene of a state. If it is true, it will amount not only to unfairness and injustice, but also an act of serious corruption.
“Corruption is not only about short-changing people in monetary terms, but also in terms of what rightfully belongs to them. It would then mean that the President has stolen our slot and allotted to a non-indigene. That invariably, means that he is corrupt. And this is a President that is regarded as a man of high moral values. So, I want to assure you that if that is true, then it would amount to a big shame that the President who swore to abide by the constitution, is making a mockery of it.
Mockery of constitution
I trust the people of Kaduna state to defend their rights”
El Rufai has made everyone an Indigene of Kaduna state – Bajoga
To Bajoga: “I don’t know why people from Kaduna state should be surprised if eventually Amina Mohammed is representing Kaduna state. This is because the governor has made a state policy that Kaduna is too cosmopolitan for anyone to claim indigenship. Kaduna state under Nasir El Rufai is stateless. If you have his Chief of Staff coming from another state, and some of his closest and most powerful appointees coming from other states, what is so different from this one? El Rufai may as well go to any place and pick a ministerial nominee because it has become his policy. It does not matter if the constitution is violated. This is the kind of government that you have brought in.”
