Ogun State got 3 ministerial nominees while a whole zone like south east got 5-Segun Sowunmi
Segun Sowunmi, a former governorship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, has raised concerns about the distribution of ministerial positions in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet. He alleged that Ogun State has been allotted three ministers while the entire South East region has received only five ministers. Sowunmi shared his perspective during an interview with Arise TV news.
In his statement, Sowunmi pointed out the principle of federal character, which calls for representation from each state in the cabinet. He pointed out that if this principle were followed strictly, the cabinet should have been limited to 37 ministers, with each state being represented. He questioned the rationale behind having 48 ministers instead.
Sowunmi further criticized the distribution of ministerial positions based on geographical zones. He emphasized that the South East, with its five ministers, is receiving less representation compared to other regions. He highlighted the example of Ogun State, which has three ministers, and contrasted it with the South East’s representation. Sowunmi implied that if the federal character principle hadn’t mandated at least one minister per state, the South East might not have received any representation at all in this cabinet configuration.
According to him, ”Federal character says that you should have at least one minister per state. And that should give you 37, we can at least say that you were restrained by the law. What will be your excuse for picking 48 ministers? And then to make it more difficult to accept that you are following something equitable, we have seen that some zones got more than some other zones. In a state like mine in Ogun, we are getting 3 ministers whereas a whole South East is getting 5. So technically what you are saying to us is that if the Federal Character did not say take one per state. Probably you would have come up with a cabinet where the Southeast will not even get one.”
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