The Presidency has tendered an apology following backlash over an inaccurate list of federal appointments released to refute allegations of nepotism against President Bola Tinubu.
President Tinubu has recently faced criticism from opposition figures and members of the public who accuse him of favouring his ethnic group in government appointments.
The controversy intensified after Senator Ali Ndume, a prominent APC lawmaker from Borno South, accused the President of violating the federal character principle during an interview with Arise Television.
Ndume stressed that, despite being in the same party as the President, it was his duty as a legislator to speak up about what he perceived as lopsided appointments.
In response, the Presidency released a list detailing the President’s appointments by geo-political zones: 29 from the South West, 35 from the North West, 22 from the South-South, 16 from the South East, 25 from North Central, and 24 from the North East.
However, the list quickly came under fire for being incomplete and inaccurate. Critics pointed out the conspicuous absence of key figures such as the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, a major appointee from the South West. The omission reignited concerns of regional imbalance, especially with the South East appearing significantly underrepresented.
As criticism mounted across social media, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, issued a public apology.
“We have noticed a number of errors in the list of appointments tweeted. We are sorry. We will provide an updated list later. Thank you,” Dare wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
However, he did not offer any explanation for the exclusion of Gbajabiamila or other discrepancies in the list. The apology has done little to quell the ongoing debate around equitable representation in the current administration.
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