The Presidency on Tuesday issued a sharp rebuttal to Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South over his public accusation that President Bola Tinubu’s political appointments have violated the principle of federal character.
The backlash follows Ndume’s remarks during an appearance on Arise TV, where he claimed that the President’s selections lacked fair regional representation.
Ndume, a former Senate Majority Leader, warned that failing to correct such imbalances could have far-reaching consequences. “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,” he stated.
Responding to the allegations, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, described Ndume’s comments as hypocritical and lacking in objectivity.
Onanuga pointed out that contrary to Ndume’s claims, Borno State has benefitted significantly from recent high-profile appointments, including two individuals from Ndume’s own senatorial district who were named to key positions in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
He questioned Ndume’s credibility in raising concerns about tribal favoritism, stating, “If Tinubu’s choices were so tribal, how did two of Ndume’s kinsmen clinch top NNPC roles?”
Onanuga went further to describe the senator’s criticisms as a pattern of “headline-chasing” and divisive rhetoric rather than fact-based or constructive opposition. He emphasized that President Tinubu remains committed to inclusivity, asserting that all appointments are guided by merit, integrity, national spread, and service capacity, not tribal considerations.
The controversy also drew reactions from other lawmakers, including Senator Sunday Karimi of Kogi West, who condemned Ndume’s televised criticism. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Karimi advised his colleague to turn his focus toward solving pressing security issues in his region rather than engaging in public attacks on the administration.
“Instead of playing to the gallery, Senator Ndume should return to his constituency and collaborate with his people to address the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency,” Karimi said. He criticized the senator’s remarks as distracting from more urgent national challenges, particularly insecurity in the North-East.
Karimi, who represents a region also plagued by violence, shared his own experiences with insecurity, noting the loss of a young army captain from his district recently killed while on duty in Borno.
“The country has lost too many soldiers and trillions of Naira combating insurgents in Borno South. Those are the pressing issues we should be talking about,” he concluded.
© Ripples Nigeria