Court declares Buhari’s appointment of FCC chairman, secretary unlawful

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, described as unlawful the appointment of Federal Character Commission (FCC) Chairman, Muheeba Dankaka, and the Secretary, Bello Tukur, from the North by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari on April 28, 2020, appointed Dankaka as the FCC chairman for a five-year tenure.

The appointment was confirmed by the Senate on June 2, 2020.

The ex-president also approved the appointment of Tukur as FCC’s secretary on April 14, 2017.

He was reappointed for another term of four years on March 12, 2021.

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Dankaka is from Kwara State while Tukur hails from Taraba.

The judge, who delivered the verdict filed by a human rights lawyer, Festus Onifade, also held that the confirmation of Dankaka and Tukur by the 9th Senate was unconstitutional, null, and void.

He said the former president failed to comply with the provisions of the laws in the duo’s appointment and described the plaintiff‘s case as meritorious.

Ekwo said: “Therefore, I find that there has been failure of the 1st defendant to comply with the provision of Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 4 (1) (a) of the FCC Establishment (FCCE) Act, 2004 and Section 4 of the Guiding Principles and Formulae for the Distribution of all Cadres of Posts, 1997 made pursuant to Section 4 (1) (a) of the FCCE Act, 2004.”

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