From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Presidency has admitted errors in the list of federal appointments released on Wednesday by Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications.
Refuting accusations by Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South, that President Bola Tinubu violated the federal character principle in his appointments, Dare, on Wednesday, said in a post on his official X handle that the President had appointed 71 Northerners and 63 Southerners into key positions.
A regional breakdown of the list of Federal appointments he shared indicated that the President had appointed 29 people from the Southwest, 35 from the Northwest, 22 from the South-South, 16 from the Southeast, 25 from North Central, and 24 from the Northeast.
In the post, Dare argued that the President’s track record, both as governor of Lagos State and now as Nigeria’s leader, shows he is a “detribalised” leader who prioritises competence over ethnic or religious considerations.
“People tend to isolate new appointments so far made by the President and examine them with a tribal lens. But it is too early to conclude that appointments are lopsided.
“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.
However, the President’s critics have pointed out that the list was not comprehensive, as the name of a major appointee from the President’s home region, including his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, was missing.
Amid the debate over the document, Dare, on Thursday, admitted errors in the list.
“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 appealed to Nigerians on X.
