An Igbo socio-cultural group has petitioned the House of Representatives to remove NNPCL Executive VP Sophia Mbakwe, alleging her appointment violates the federal character principle.
According to PUNCH, the House of Representatives on Thursday received a petition from the Igbo socio-cultural group, Ezi Umuada Igbo, requesting the removal of Mrs Sophia Mbakwe, Executive Vice President (Business Services) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), over alleged violation of the federal character principle.
The petition, presented during plenary by the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Ikenga Ugochinyere, alleged that Mbakwe, though occupying a position designated for the South-East geopolitical zone, is not an indigene of the region.
Addressed to Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the petition urged the legislature to investigate her appointment and ensure compliance with Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution. “While we deeply appreciate His Excellency, the President… for finding an Igbo woman worthy of appointment… we are, however, compelled to express our reservation that Mrs. Mbakwe is not from the South-East region,” the group stated.
The petition described the appointment as “a blatant breach of constitutional provisions guaranteeing balanced representation” and called for a deserving South-East woman to occupy the role.
The matter has been referred to the House Committee on Public Petitions, which is expected to commence hearings in the coming weeks, amid rising scrutiny over federal character compliance in key federal appointments.