Efforts by the Presidency to defend the alleged lopsided appointments by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has backfired.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, had released a list, showing the appointments made so far by President Tinubu from the six geo-political zones of the country.
The action came hours after a senator from the North-east geo-political zone, Ali Ndume, accused the president of violating the law in his appointments.
But it was not long after the list was released that the presidential spokesman was made to beat a retreat, apologising for errors in the document.
In the recent past, appointments made by President Tinubu have come under scrutiny with some Nigerians alleging lopsidedness.
Ali Ndume’s criticism
Senator Ali Ndume, an All Progressives Congress, (APC) lawmaker representing Borno-South, in a television interview had accused the president of violating the federal character principle in his appointments.
Ndume said he decided to call the president’s attention to his “lopsided appointments” which he said also violated the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, because, as a lawmaker, he had the right to criticise the president, even though they belong to the same party.
According to Ndume, Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution mandates that political appointments reflect the country’s diversity.
He went further to say that “The figures are there. You can look at the figures. I sent you one. I sent you figures. It’s not that I’m just making accusations. And it’s not that I’m saying, well, the president has no right to do that kind of thing.
“But it’s a constitutional provision. Section 13, I mean, Section 14 (3) of the constitution is very, very clear,” he insisted.
The senator added that the current appointments do not align with the federal character principle as outlined by law.
“When you look at it vis-a-vis the appointments made so far, and there are political appointments, the constitution is very clear.
“It is because of avoiding such infractions that the constitution clearly states that appointments, especially political appointments, should reflect the federal character, and that is not the case here.
“And all I am saying is to call the attention of Mr President to such infractions so that it can be corrected; otherwise, you know, these things can boomerang at a certain period of time”, Ndume said.
Presidency retracts list
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to deny the claim by Senator Ndume, Sunday Dare, released a list, showing President Tinubu’s appointees from each geopolitical zone.
The list showed that since assumption of office, President Tinubu had appointed 35 persons into offices from the North-West, 29 people from the South-West, his own region, 25 from North-Central, 24 from the North- East, 22 from the South-South and 16 from the South-East.
However, a notable omission was noticed as the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, was not on the list. The development ignited another debate, following which Mr. Dare took to his X handle to apologise for the errors.
He wrote: “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”.
Nigerians expect transparent ethnic analysis of appointments – Bello
Also commenting on the issue, a public affairs analyst, Hon Ayuba Mohammed Bello, wrote that what Nigerians expect from the Presidency is “a fair and transparent ethnic analysis of appointments under President Tinubu’s administration, especially since the Yoruba were directly mentioned.”
He said what was released by the Presidency was a regional breakdown, “a tactic that glosses over the actual substance of Senator Ndume’s concern, which is centered on ethnic dominance, not just regional representation.”
He said the concern of Nigerians is not about a “North vs. South” argument. “It’s about the increasing Yoruba dominance in federal appointments—across not just the South-West, but spanning other geopolitical zones, including North-Central and even the North-East.
“What Senator Ndume is saying is quite clear—he is pointing at ethnic concentration, and the attempt to dilute his message by framing it as regional is both evasive and disingenuous.”
According to him, “When people say “Yoruba-dominated,” they’re referring to individuals authentically Yoruba by tribe and language, whether they reside in the North-Central (like in Kwara, Kogi, Niger), the North-East, or even abroad. It’s not just about where people live; it’s about who they are and what that means in the context of equity in federal representation.
“The North, for example, is an ethnically diverse region, and lumping everyone under “North-East” or “North-West” without mentioning whether they are Fulani, Hausa, Igbo Kanuri, Nupe, Gwari, Jukun, etc., is misleading. It’s a convenient smokescreen to avoid acknowledging the imbalance Senator Ndume is talking about,” he explained.
List released by the Presidency before it was withdrawn
South-west:
North-central:
Minister of Steel Development
2.Muhammed Idris
Minister of Information
Minister of Special Duties
Minister of Justice
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction
Minister of State, Police Affairs
Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security
GMD, NNPC Limited
Director General, National Intelligence Agency
Director General, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps
Controller General of the Federal Fire Service
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service
Chairman, Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority
Chairman, Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority
Managing Director, Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority
Senior Special Assistant to the President, Research and Analytics (Office of the VP)
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital media & Emergency Management
Special Assistant to the President, Public Affairs
Chairman, NHIA
Deputy Executive Secretary (Services), UBEC
Executive Secretary, TETFUND
North-east:
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security
Minister of Livestock Development
Minister of Tranportation
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare
Minister of Police Affairs
Minister of State for Regional Development
NNPCL Non-executive Chairman.
National Security Adviser
CEO, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit
Chairman, Chad Basin Development Authority
Managing Director, Chad Basin Development Authority
Chairman, Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority
15) Abdulhamid Yahaya Abba
SSAP on Community Engagement
16) Dr. Bala Mohammed
Deputy Governor, CBN
17) Aliyu Modibbo Umar
Special Adviser (SAD), General Duties
18) Sadiq Wanna
Special Adviser (SAD), to the President on Power Infrastructure
19)Usman Muhammad
SSA to the President on Administration & Office Accommodation
20)Nasir Yammama
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Innovation, office of the VP.
21) Bashir Maidugu
Deputy State House Counsel (Senior Special Assistant to the President)
22) Dr Daniel Bwala
Special Adviser on Media and Policy Communications
23)Mr. Francis Adah Abah
Personal Assistant to the President, Special Duties
24)Mumuni Dagazau
Executive Vice President for Downstream
South – South
1) Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development
2) Ekperipe Ekpo, Minister of State, Gas Resources
3) Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources
4) John Enoh, Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment
5) Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory
6) Abubakar Momoh, Minister of Regional Development
7) Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff
8) Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, Chief of Defence Intelligence
9) Emomotimi Agama, Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
10) Mrs. Glory Ekpo Oho, Managing Director, Cross River Basin Development Authority
11) Sen. Magnus Abe, Chairman, National Agency for the Great Green Wall
12) Chief (Barr.) Ebikemi Boi Bosin, Chairman, Niger Delta Basin Development Authority
13) Hon. Amgbare Ebitimi, Managing Director, Niger Delta Basin Development Authority
14) Mr. Saleh Abubakar, Director-General, National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW)
15) Dr. Dakorinama Alabo George, Director-General, Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA).
16) Gift Johnbull, SSAP on Community Engagement
17) Emem Nnana Usoro, CBN Deputy Governor
18) O’tega Ogra, SSA, Digital/New Media to the President
20) Rowland Ewubare, Group Chief Operating Officer, NNPCL
21) Nosa Asemota, Special Assistant, Visual Communications to the President
22) Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, Project Coordinator, HYPREP
South East
1) Dr. Doris Anite Uzoka, Minister of State for Finance
2) Bianca Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
3) Nkeiru Onyejiocha, Minister of State for Labour
4) Sen. Dave Umahi, Minister of Works
6) Uzoma Nwagba, MD, Credicorp
7) Rt. Hon. Emeka Nduka, Managing Director, Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority
8) Adesua Dozie, Company Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, NNPCL
9) Hon. Mark Okoye, MD/CEO, South-East Development Commission (SEDC)
10) Philip Ikeazor, Deputy Governor for Financial System Stability, CBN
11) Sophia Mbakwe, Executive Vice President of Business Services, NNPCL
12) Mr. John Ugochukwu Uwajumogu, Special Adviser, Industry, Trade and Investment
13) Chioma Nweze, SSAP on Community Engagement
14) Kingsley Stanley Nkwocha, SSA to the President, Media and Communication (Office of VP)
15) Kingsley Uzoma, SSA to the President on Agribusiness & Productivity Enhancement (Office of VP)
16) Mr. Fredrick Nwabufo, SSA to the President on Public Engagement
North-West
1) Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Minister of Defence
2) Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy
3) Ahmed Dangiwa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development
4) Bello Goronyo, Minister of State for Water Resources
5) Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Minister of State for Education
6) Bello Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence
7) Hajiya Hafsat Bakari, CEO, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit
8) General Christopher Gwabin Musa, Chief of Defence Staff
9) Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff
10) Haliru Nababa, Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service
11) Shehu Usman Mohammed, Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission
12) Aminu Maida, EVC, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
13) Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
14) Brig Gen YD Ahmed, Director-General, National Youth Service Corps
15) Muhammed Buba Marwa, Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
16) Abdullahi U Ganduje, Chairman, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)
17) HE Abdullahi Ganduje, Chairman, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria
18) Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission
19) Nasiru Gawuna, Chairman, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria
20) Musa Sarkin Adar, Chairman, National Inland Waterways Authority
- Alh. Bashir Usman Gumel, Chairman, Federal Medical Centre, Yola
24) Dr. Mohammed Gusau Hassan, Chairman, Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kudu
25) Isa Sadiq Achida, Chairman, Raw Materials Research and Development Council
26) Amb. Abubakar Shehu Wurno, Chairman, Sokoto-Rima River Basin Development Authority
27)Major Gen. Jubril Abdulmalik, Secretary, Civil Defence, Immigration and Prisons Services Board
28) Dr Mohammed Mohammed Aminu, Registrar/Chief Executive Officer (NABTEB)
29)Abdullahi Tanko Yakassai, SSAP on Community Engagement
30) Sani Dattijo, Deputy Governor, CBN
31) Rukaiya El-Rufai, Special Adviser to President on NEC & Climate Change (Office of the VP)
32) Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Special Adviser (SAD), on Political Matters (Office of VP)
- Muhammad Bulama, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Politics/Special Duties (office of the VP
34) Zainab Yunusa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on NEC (Office of the VP)
35) Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Print Media
36) Ibrahim Masari, SSA Politics
