The controversy over the appointment of Olusegun Aganga for a fresh ministerial term escalated Tuesday with the House of Representatives urging President Goodluck Jonathan to abide by the law that backs a minister per state and a court being asked to declare Mr Aganga’s nomination on the slot of Lagos State illegal.

Mr Aganga, the immediate past Finance Minister, was re-nominated as a representative of Lagos State by Mr Jonathan for an unnamed portfolio, and is expected to be approved today by the Senate.

Following constitutional provisions that entitles each state to a ministerial slot, the decision has rekindled debates about Mr Aganga’s Lagos State claim - a controversy that first erupted during his first term in 2010, with officials and lawmakers from the state pressing for a replacement.

They allege Mr Aganga hails from Edo State, an argument not yet countered by the former minister.

A federal high court in Abuja has been asked to declare Mr Aganga’s nomination illegal. Funsho Ibrahim, Rahman Pedro and Tajudeen, all indigenes of Lagos State, challenged the decision on Monday in Abuja, according to court documents.

Ruling on a constitutional order raised by Femi Gbajabiamila (Action Congress ‑ Lagos), the House of Representatives rebuffed opposition to its rule, and urged Mr Jonathan to stick to the dictates of the 1999 Constitution backing each of the 36 states to be given a ministerial slot.

“We are urging the President to look into the section (147) of the Constitution as raised by Gbajabiamila, and act in accordance with the constitution,” the Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal said.

The resolution came as the House scored a major win earlier in the day, literally compelling the president to notify the lower chamber of his appointment of 20 new Special Advisers as required by law, reversing last week’s omission that was questioned by the lawmakers.

Mr Gbajabiamila argued that the nomination of Mr Aganga breached the constitution and “amounted to short-changing the people of Lagos State.”

He, however, said the president’s action may have been an oversight, and urged the House to cause President Jonathan to urgently reverse the nomination in accordance with the law.

“This is the only place where the issue of indigeneship was referred to in clear terms in the constitution. Even though the President has the power to appoint the minister, his powers are limited by these provisions and Lagos State has been short-changed by appointing somebody whose indigeneship is not Lagos. There is no denial that he is from Edo State,” Mr Gbajabiamila said.

Approving the notice to Mr Jonathan, Mr Tambuwal said while the president had powers to appoint ministers, he needed to be aware of the provision of the Constitution as it relates to the matter.