Group accuses Sambo of margnalising North East, North Central

The group said the vice president cornered federal appointments for the North West, his home zone.

A group, Northern Democratic Alliance, NDA, has accused Vice President Namadi Sambo of marginalizing the North West and North Central zones in federal appointments.

According to NDA, the vice president had been picking only nominees from the North West zone from where he hails for such appointments, in utter disregard for the federal character principle. The group did not provide any evidence to buttress its claims.

The group also blamed the recent split in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, alleging that his inability to use his office well led to the action of the members of the “New PDP.”

“NDA is worried by the actions and inaction of Vice President, Namadi Sambo that contributed to the political upheavals in PDP,” the group said in a statement by its National Chairman, Mahuta Saidu, on Tuesday.

“We are saddened that most of the actors in the party imbroglio are from the Northern part of the country. The inability of Arch. Sambo to use his good offices to arrest the drift to anarchy has emboldened and empowered the dissidents led by Atiku Abubakar and Abubakar Kawu Barage. We call on Namadi Sambo to wake up from slumber and act fast to save his sinking party from its perilous course to self-destruction.”

NDA said it had has always supported Mr. Sambo’s political ambition but strongly opposed his bias in favour of candidates/nominees from northwest zone at the detriment of those from north east and north central.

“This must be corrected in future federal appointments and developmental projects under his watch,” it said.

The vice president, the group said, was not a not a political spare tyre in the Presidency.

“He should sit up and effectively represent the north’s three geo-political zones by nominating qualified people for public offices, attract developmental programmes, quell dissidents’ activities in PDP and generally deliver democracy dividends to long suffering Nigerians as a statesman.

“By so doing he will engrave his name in gold in Nigeria’s hall of fame. The myopic infamous northwest champion he is today should be consigned to the dust bin of history as we march forward to the centenary celebrations,” it said.

On the factional Peoples Democratic Party, the group expressed regrets over the emergence of the splinter group and urged the gladiators to sheathe their swords and embrace peace in the interest of the nation.

“NDA will not tolerate any attempt by political buccaneers masquerading as democrats to truncate our hard earned democracy ahead of 2015 presidential election.

“We urge politicians to be patriotic, imbibe issued-based politics and be guided by their parties’ constitutions. The horrors of the Wild Wild West that led to military intervention and civil war in 1960s are still fresh in our memories,” it said.

When contacted, Sani Umar, the vice president’s media aide, said the group had no adequate information of  appointment processes.

Mr. Umar explained that appointments into boards and parastatals were executed by a committee, headed by Mr. Sambo, set up by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Each zone was adequately represented (in the committee) and there was no way the vice president could have cornered positions for the North West or any zone,” he said.

The spokesman said the group’s “support (for Mr. Sambo) is appreciated”.

On the PDP crisis, Mr. Umar said the crisis was not caused by the actions or inactions of Mr. Sambo and that the “party at the highest level” was already taking steps to resolve the crisis.