The Presidency has publicly apologised for errors in the recently released list of federal appointments, which was intended to counter claims of ethnic bias in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s selections.
The list, which broke down presidential appointments by geo-political zones, was released in response to growing criticism that President Tinubu’s choices have disproportionately favoured individuals from his South West region.
Among the critics is Senator Ali Ndume (APC–Borno South), who in an interview with Arise Television, accused the President of violating the federal character principle. Despite being a member of the ruling party, Ndume said it was his duty to call out perceived imbalances in the distribution of appointments.
According to the original list, the distribution of appointees was as follows: North West (35), South West (29), North Central (25), North East (24), South-South (22), and South East (16). However, glaring omissions—including that of Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff—sparked further backlash, with critics arguing that the list underreported South West representation and further deepened concerns of regional favouritism.
As outrage spread across social media, particularly over the perceived attempt to manipulate public perception, the Presidency admitted to inaccuracies in the list.
On Thursday morning, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media & Public Communication and Presidential Spokesperson, issued an apology on X (formerly Twitter), saying:
“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.”
The Presidency has yet to release a corrected version of the appointment list.
The incident adds to ongoing debates about transparency, national unity, and adherence to constitutional provisions on federal character in Nigeria’s political appointments.
