The African Democratic Congress has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s recent appointments, describing them as a ‘desperate ploy to regain the trust of northern Nigerians.’
For months, critics, including political stakeholders, have faulted Tinubu’s appointments for being “lopsided” and in violation of the federal character principle outlined in the constitution.
In May, Tinubu named 12 northerners to the management teams of various federal agencies, a move widely viewed as an afterthought.
On Friday, Tinubu appointed Muhammad Babangida, son of former military president Ibrahim Babangida, as the Chairman of the Bank of Agriculture and others as heads of federal agencies.
Reacting in a statement on Saturday, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the move amounted to a “cynical attempt to buy back the goodwill the president spent the last year squandering.”
Abdullahi accused the administration of sidelining the region for over 25 months, describing the new appointments as “too little, too late.”
“The federal government cannot expect applause now just because it suddenly remembered Nigeria is bigger than Lagos,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the move was nothing more than “political panic management” in response to rising public anger and the growing strength of the opposition, especially in the North.
“For over a year, this government looked away while bandits terrorised northern communities, farmers fled their lands, and rural economies collapsed under the impact of subsidy removal.
“Now, with opposition coalitions gaining traction, Tinubu suddenly remembers to appoint northerners into key positions,” he said.
The ADC spokesperson noted that major decisions of the administration, from petrol subsidy removal to political appointments, were made without Northern input.
“Now that the consequences of those decisions are glaring, the president is handing out appointments as if they are consolation prizes.
“Northerners, as co-owners of this Republic, will not be deceived by such tokenism. They can see through the president’s actions and recognise that symbolism is not governance,” he said.
Abdullahi urged Tinubu to abandon what he called “Bourdillon-style appeasement politics” and instead pursue genuine national inclusion.
He said, “You cannot patch a broken roof with press statements and photo-ops.
“You certainly cannot restore public trust by pretending that appointments are a substitute for real commitment to nation-building.”
Credit: punchng.com
