President Muhammadu Buhari has been frequently vilified even by opponents of "federal character", for appearing to abandon this policy.
"I don't have a problem with any part of Nigeria but I have a problem with the way government is directing its appointments," said Mr Ekweremadu during a fiery session in parliament in 2018.
At present, 17 out of Nigeria's 20 service chiefs appointed by Mr Buhari are from his northern region, while 16 are Muslim like him.
And 15 out of 21 serving assistant inspectors general of police are from the north, while 16 are Muslim.
In defence of his boss, presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu told me: "Are you going to give your command positions in the military to people you don't trust?"