In the face of continuous criticism over unequal political appointments since the start of his term, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party, the Coalition of United Political Parties, and the New Nigeria People’s Party have criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for failing to advance inclusive governance.
Nigerians have responded to President Tinubu’s appointments in a variety of ways since the beginning of his administration. Some have criticised them for alleged ineptitude, while others have questioned their prior positions towards the APC government and believe they do not uphold the federal character principle.
Borno State Senator Ali Ndume voiced concerns Monday on Arise TV’s Prime Time that Tinubu’s nominations do not meet the diversity requirements set forth in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution.
Tinubu’s selections, according to Ndume, violated the federal character principle.
On Wednesday, Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, published a list of Tinubu’s appointees, along with their corresponding geographical zones, in an attempt to justify the President’s selections.
29 appointments came from the southwest, which is Tinubu’s home region; 35 came from the northwest; 22 came from the South-South; 16 came from the South-East; 25 came from the North Central; and 24 came from the North-East, according to the list.
Critics countered that the list lacked important individuals from the Southwest, including the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Minister of Youth, Ayodele Wisdom.
The South-East appeared to be severely under-represented, and this exclusion only served to strengthen the claims of regional imbalance in the government.
Dare apologised on his X Twitter on Thursday for the blunder and offered a corrected version of the list after it caused criticism online. He did not, however, clarify why Gbajabiamila’s name was omitted.
In response, Atiku argued that the Presidency’s attempt to defend its choices merely reaffirmed the suspicions many Nigerians had about alleged nepotism in President Tinubu’s government.
In an interview with The Intercept, Atiku, through his media adviser Paul Ibe, cautioned that encouraging nepotism and state-sponsored discrimination in a multiethnic nation like Nigeria might have dire repercussions.
He stated, “It is getting worse under Tinubu. Bigotry must not be a policy of states, bigotry should not be tolerated; bigotry and nepotism must never be adopted as a state policy, as is being done by Tinubu’s administration.
“When you fail to accommodate sections of the country either in appointments or infrastructure provision, you are inevitably enabling divisions and instability. Inclusivity is a tool for national unity, peace, and stability.”
Atiku emphasised that no one should be marginalised due to their place of origin and warned that the country and the world community were watching attentively.
Timothy Osadolor, the PDP’s Deputy National Youth Leader, also cautioned that the exclusionary governing style of the Presidency was a recipe for anarchy and disruption.
He stated, “You shouldn’t have to start defending what’s already obvious. But the fact that it needs defending in the first place suggests there’s something suspicious about it. What is obvious shouldn’t need justification. People have said that this government lacks fairness, and that it’s attempting to mask its nepotistic nature. It’s merely trying to cover up what is already clear. But Nigerians refuse to be deceived—and they cannot be deceived.
“Even if they remain silent, that doesn’t mean they are fooled. The truth is, after Buhari, this administration is even more entrenched in nepotism. It is arguably the second most nepotistic government in the history of this country. And this is not the way to govern a nation as diverse and multicultural as Nigeria.
“Let Tinubu, in his pursuit of power, not unravel the very fabric that holds this country together. Nigeria has held on for years because there has been, to a degree, a sense of balance—across the North, South, East, and West. But this government seems to have abandoned reason and is leaning heavily into ethnocentrism.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the NNPP, Ladipo Johnson, said, “Nigerians are very intelligent people, and they know who is telling the truth and who is saying otherwise. As the legal maxim goes, the fact speaks for itself. We do not intend to say more than this for now.”
According to CUPP National Secretary Peter Ahmeh, the erroneous list reveals the administration’s lack of focus. Ahmeh bemoaned the fact that the leaders of Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, lack the knowledge necessary to advance the continent.
He stated, “For me, it shows the level of how unorganised the administration is. Even with a list of appointed officials, there is something that was supposed to be just there and be updated on a daily basis that the Presidency has no capacity to conduct. So you are not talking about running a country from France.
“The Nigerian system is in the hands of those who do not know what to do to make sure that we have a progressive nation. You have a list that you have released in trying to justify that you have appointed more northerners than southerners, only for you to discover that even the one you released for the North is something else—over 23 of them are Yoruba.”
