The Presidency’s effort to counter allegations of lopsided appointments by President Bola Tinubu has collapsed after its released data contained glaring omissions and inaccuracies, forcing an embarrassing public retraction.
Special Adviser on Media Sunday Dare had circulated a list claiming balanced regional distribution of appointments, showing:
- North West: 35 appointees
- South West: 29
- North Central: 25
- North East: 24
- South South: 22
- South East: 16
However, the document failed to include high-profile Yoruba appointees like Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, prompting Dare to issue a public apology on X (formerly Twitter): “We have noticed errors in the list… We are sorry.”
The botched defense comes after Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno) accused Tinubu of violating constitutional federal character principles, citing Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution. “The figures show clear ethnic concentration, not just regional imbalance,” Ndume insisted during a televised interview.
Public affairs analyst Ayuba Bello criticized the Presidency’s regional categorization as misleading: “This is about Yoruba dominance across multiple zones – from Kwara to Kogi and beyond. The North’s diversity isn’t being reflected either.”
The withdrawn list had included 15 Southwesterners heading key agencies like EFCC, Customs, DSS, and FIRS, while omitting at least 7 other known Yoruba appointees. Political observers note the controversy undermines Tinubu’s national unity claims as pressure mounts for a transparent ethnic audit of appointments.
The Presidency has promised a corrected list but provided no timeline for its release. Constitutional lawyers warn that persistent violations of federal character principles could trigger legal challenges to recent appointments.
