Buhari Goofs Again, Says He Gave ‘Igbo 11 Ministers,’ Despite Getting Paltry 198,000 Votes

President Muhammadu Buhari has committed another of his now famous faux pax in his attempt to berate Ndigbo for accusing him of ethnic bias, claiming he appointed eleven ministers from the South East despite getting a ‘paltry 198, 000’ votes.

“Seven states of the North are only represented in my cabinet by junior ministers, ministers of state, he said Thursday night during a dinner with leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.

“In South East, I got 198,000 votes but I have four substantive ministers and seven junior ministers from there,” Buhari told the gathering.

However, checks by The WHISTLER shows that the president was far from the truth as the South East has only five statutory ministers.

The ministers are four substantive and one junior minister: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama (Enugu state); Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia), Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige (Anambra).

Others are Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi), and Minister of State for Education, Anthony Onwuka (Imo). Even if Buhari counts Minister of State for Petroleum, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, who is from Delta state, the number is still off the mark of eleven he claimed.

According to the president, contrary to the opinion of some, he enjoyed the support of other ethnic groups and religious affiliations when he was running for president.

“There is one thing that disabused my mind in a dispassionate way about ethnicity and religion across the country. You know that tribunal for presidential election started at High Court of Appeal. The president was my classmate. I missed only four of the court sittings.

“For that first phase, 2003, we were in court for 30 months. My legal leader was Chief Ahamba (SAN), an Igbo man. He asked the panel of judges to direct INEC to produce the voters register to prove that the election was done underground.

“When they came to write the judgment, they completely omitted that. Another Igbo man, a Roman Catholic, in the panel of judges wrote a minority report.

“I went to the Supreme Court. Who was the Chief Justice? An Hausa Fulani, a Muslim from Zaria. After 27 months, Ahamba presented our case for two hours and 45 minutes. The Chief Justice got up and said they were going on break and when they returned the following day, they will deliver the judgment. They went away for three months. That was what made it 30 months.

“And when they came back, they discussed my case within 45 minutes.

“In 2007, who was the Chief Justice? A Muslim from Niger State. The third one (in 2011), who was the Chief Justice? My neighbour from Jigawa State. The same religion and the same tribe.”