YORUBA leaders have accused President Umar Musa Yar’Adua of trying to re-entrench the Hausa-Fulani hegemony in the country with his recent political appointments into key federal positions.


They said the appointments were skewed, highly flawed and ran contrary to the principles of federal character as provided for in the constitution.


At the 14th anniversary of June 12 election held in Lagos, on Tuesday, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi, who addressed a press conference, said President Yar’Adua had taken some steps that spelt danger for the Yoruba and Southerners in particular, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria in general.


He said the leadership of the three arms of government at the federal level was in the hands of the North.


“Yar’Adua has appointed a Northerner as Chief of Staff to the president; the Head of Service from the North; the Executive Secretary of the of the Federation Capital Development Authority from the North and the National Security Adviser from the North.


“He has also selected from the North the Secretary to the Federal Government.


“The ruling party’s chairman and the president himself are already from the North.


“The position of the Senate President has been zoned to the North and the Chief Justice of the Federation is a Northerner,” he said.


All these appointments, he said, took place within one week of Yar’Adua’s tenure.


He said despite the inadequacies of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, his tenure maintained the federal balance.


“The executive was headed by the West, the legislature by the East and the judiciary by the North,” according to him.


Bishop Gbonigi said there were speculations that the North would produce the substantive Inspector General of Police.


The Yoruba leaders, according to Gbonigi, were not clamouring for positions, but the protest against the appointments arose from genuine belief that the present arrangement was flawed and could lead to the disintegration of the country.