Appointments: Ekwueme urges patience, tasks Buhari on federal character

By Our Reporter on July 20, 2015 COVER

From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
FORMER Vice Presi­dent, Chief Alex Ekwueme, has called on Nigerians to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari in running the affairs of the country.
Ekwueme stated this yesterday in a chat with reporters during a thanksgiving mass to mark the mar­riage silver jubilee, successful end of ten­ure and 53rd birthday celebration of former national chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance Party (APGA), Chief Vic­tor Umeh, at Aguluz­igbo, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State.
He said every leader had his own style of government, insisting that it was too early in the day to judge whether Buhari meant well for the country.
Ekwueme, howev­er, said he would not condemn outright the non-appointment of any Igbo person into any of the positions so far filled by President Buhari. But he urged the president to bear the Federal Character principle in mind in making his appoint­ments.
Meanwhile, Gov­ernor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has congratulated Umeh on his triple celebra­tion, saying it was the latter and Mr. Pe­ter Obi that made his emergence in the po­litical scene possible.
The governor said under his watch, APGA and Anambra State would be taken to greater heights and solicited the contin­ued support and coop­eration of the people for the party and his administration. He said the party would continue to wax strong so that Ndigbo would have their own bargaining tool at the central level.
The celebrant, Chief Victor Umeh, howev­er, said the celebration was necessary consid­ering all he had passed through in the past eight years as APGA leader.
He said the party survived and emerged victorious in 43 court cases. His leadership, he said, had cleared all hurdles to the growth of the party. He predicted that the new leadership would have a smooth sail under one indivisible and strong family.
He asked for the for­giveness of all who might have been of­fended by his actions in the past, saying whatever decisions he took was in the inter­est of the party.
In a homily, the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Most Rev. Pau­linus Ezeokafor, said politics was all about seeking the common good of all. He con­demned the contin­ued bloodshed in the North through Boko Haram, saying love was the solution that would save the coun­try from violence.