Gladness Gideon
The Presidency has issued a public apology following widespread backlash over inaccuracies found in a recently published list of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s federal appointees, which was intended to counter allegations of ethnic bias in appointments.
The apology comes after the list, which was released to dispute claims of regional favoritism, was found to be incomplete—most notably omitting the name of Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff and a prominent figure from the South West.
Critics argue that the oversight, coupled with the data in the list itself, further reinforces growing concerns over the apparent underrepresentation of the South East in President Tinubu’s administration.
The controversial list indicated that the South West had received 29 appointments, North West 35, North Central 25, North East 24, South-South 22, and the South East only 16.
The imbalance sparked fresh debates on social media and among political observers, many of whom cited the omission of such a key figure as Gbajabiamila as a glaring error that undermines the credibility of the list and the government’s defense.
In response to the public outcry, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to the President, took to X (formerly Twitter) to acknowledge the mistakes.
“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 stated, offering no further explanation for the omissions.
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The appointment debate was reignited earlier this week when Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), criticized President Tinubu during an interview on Arise Television.
Ndume, a senior lawmaker and party loyalist, said that although he supports the administration, it was necessary to highlight perceived violations of the federal character principle enshrined in the Constitution.
“I belong to the APC, but I have the right to speak up when things are not balanced,” Ndume asserted, emphasizing the need for inclusivity and equitable representation in government appointments.
The Presidency is expected to release a revised version of the list in the coming days.
Meanwhile, calls for broader national inclusion and adherence to federal character provisions continue to mount across political lines.