The Presidency has issued an apology following the release of an inaccurate list of federal appointments made by President Bola Tinubu, which sparked criticism over alleged regional bias.
The controversy arose after the list was published in response to claims of favoritism, particularly from opposition figures who accused the President of favoring individuals from his ethnic group over others. Senator Ali Ndume, an APC lawmaker representing Borno South, was among the prominent critics, suggesting that Tinubu’s appointments violated the federal character principle. Despite being part of the ruling party, Ndume felt it was his responsibility to address the matter in his legislative role.
In an effort to address the concerns, the Presidency published a breakdown of appointments by geo-political zones. The list showed 29 appointments 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 document was criticized for omitting key figures, including Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff, whose inclusion would have strengthened the South West representation.
The oversight further fueled regional imbalance accusations, leading to widespread backlash on social media. In response to the growing controversy, Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser on Media & Public Communication and Spokesperson to the President, issued an apology on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning.
“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, acknowledging the mistakes and assuring the public that an updated list would be issued.
