James Adamu in Abuja
A socio-cultural Igbo group, Ezi Umuada Igbo, has formally petitioned the House of Representatives, calling for the removal of Mrs Sophia Mbakwe as Executive Vice President of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
The petition, presented during plenary on Thursday, alleges that Mrs Mbakwe’s appointment to a role designated for the South-East geopolitical zone is in violation of the constitutional federal character principle, as she is reportedly not an indigene of the region.
The group’s petition was addressed to the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and presented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Ikenga Ugochinyere. It urged the legislature to investigate the circumstances of her appointment and ensure strict compliance with Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates the equitable distribution of federal positions.
In the document, titled “Appointment of Mrs Sophia Mbakwe as South-East Representative in NNPCL Management Team,” the group first acknowledged President Bola Tinubu. “While we deeply appreciate His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for finding an Igbo woman worthy of appointment into such a sensitive and strategic national office, we are, however, compelled to express our reservation that Mrs. Mbakwe is not from the South-East region and therefore cannot legitimately serve as the region’s representative in compliance with the federal character principle,” the group stated.
The petitioners argued that the appointment fundamentally undermines the spirit of regional representation. They described it as “a blatant breach of constitutional provisions guaranteeing balanced representation in federal appointments” and appealed for an official review to ensure the position is filled by a qualified woman of South-East origin.
“The South-East has an abundance of competent, qualified, and patriotic women who can effectively occupy the position and represent the region’s interests in the NNPCL management team,” the petitioners added.
Following its presentation, the petition has been referred to the House Committee on Public Petitions for further legislative action and is expected to be examined in the coming weeks. The controversy emerges against a backdrop of heightened public scrutiny regarding adherence to the federal character principle in key federal appointments, a policy designed to promote national integration and equity.
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