Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has said that both chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission can’t come from the same geopolitical zone.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria stated this during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu recently appointed chairman of  EFCC, Ola Olukoyede and the ICPC Chairman, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye who are both from the South-West geopolitical zone.

Condemning the president’s appointment of Olukoyede as EFCC chairman and Owasanoye as ICPC chair who has been in office since February 2019, Falana said: “There is no issue; the only issue that has been raised has to be considered by the government is that we have in this country, the Federal Character Commission Act and also by the virtue of Section 14 of the constitution, appointments must reflect Federal Character.

If you are going to have the EFCC and the ICPC, the heads cannot come from same zone. If there are two positions in the public service, one must go to the North, and one must go to the South. If there are four, two must go to the South, and two must go to the North. If there are six, one must go to each geopolitical zone. That is the law in Nigeria today.”

The human rights lawyer added that though Olukoyede is very much qualified to head the EFCC, but he is not comfortable with the fact that the heads of both anti-graft agencies are from the South-West geopolitical zone.

“So, I am not comfortable with the fact that the heads of the EFCC and the ICPC are from the same zone. Apart from that, Mr Ola Olukoyede is eminently qualified to head the EFCC. My colleagues who have criticised the appointment have not looked at the relevant provisions of the EFCC which is Section 2”, he stated.