By Ayo Ayodele
The Presidency has issued a public apology following the release of a flawed list of federal appointments intended to counter claims of ethnic bias in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The list, which aimed to address growing concerns over alleged lopsidedness in the President’s appointments, instead sparked fresh controversy due to notable omissions and inaccuracies. Critics say it failed to present a complete and accurate picture, further fueling accusations of regional favoritism.
President Tinubu has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks, with opposition figures accusing him of disproportionately favoring individuals from his South West region, at the expense of other geo-political zones.
One of the most vocal critics is Senator Ali Ndume, an APC lawmaker representing Borno South, who recently raised the issue during an interview on Arise Television. Ndume accused the President of violating the federal character principle and emphasized that, despite belonging to the same political party, he had a duty to speak out.
In response to the criticism, the Presidency released a breakdown of appointments by geo-political zone: 35 from the North West, 29 from the South West, 25 from North Central, 24 from the North East, 22 from the South South, and 16 from the South East.
However, the list quickly came under fire for lacking key figures—most notably, the omission of Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff, who hails from the South West. The absence of such a prominent name called into question the list’s credibility and further amplified claims that the South East remains significantly underrepresented in Tinubu’s administration.
As criticism mounted on social media, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to the President, issued an apology for the oversight.
“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).
He did not, however, clarify the reason for Gbajabiamila’s exclusion or provide a timeline for the corrected list.
The incident has reignited debates around equity, transparency, and adherence to the federal character principle in government appointments.