THE Presidency has apologised for errors in President Bola Tinubu’s appointments list, released, promising to rectify.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, released a list of Tinubu’s appointees and their geopolitical zones to clarify allegations of lopsided appointments made by President Tinubu since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.
However, critics highlighted errors in the list.
Some of the inaccuracies noted on the list released by Dare include the omission of key appointees like the Chief of Staff (CoS)to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. Also missing was the name of the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap.
The list showed 35 appointments from the North West, 29 from the South West, 22 from the South-South, 16 from the South East, 25 from North Central, and 24 from the North East.
The errors sparked outrage on social media.
Dare in a clarification post on X on Thursday, April 10, admitted the errors, “We have noticed several errors in the list of appointments tweeted. We are sorry. We will provide an updated list later. Thank you,” he tweeted.
The ICIR reported that the Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, had urged President Tinubu to adhere to the federal character principle in political appointments, warning that failure to do so could have repercussions in the future.
Ndume, who criticised President Tinubu for what he termed a failure to adhere to the federal character principle in political appointments, stressed that such actions are necessary to ensure equitable representation for all Nigerians.
The lawmaker who appeared on Arise TV’s Prime Time, Monday, April 7, insisted that the current appointments did not comply with the federal character principle by the law, accusing the President of violating the constitutional mandate for fair representation in government appointments.
Ndume referred to Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulates that political appointments should mirror the country’s diversity.
He further emphasised that his remarks were not intended as a personal attack on the President, but rather as part of his responsibility as a lawmaker.
He expressed concerns that his comments might provoke attacks from individuals loyal to the President, stating, “But from tomorrow, those so-called Tinubu boys or people will start attacking Ndume. These are the facts.”
The ICIR reports that on March 28, President Tinubu appointed Felix Morka, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as Board Chairman of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
Tinubu approved the appointment of Fatuhu Mohammed Buhari from Katsina State as Director-General of the National Agricultural Seed Council and other Nigerians as board chairmen of various federal government institutions.
The federal government’s pending nominations and appointments, reported on April 6, indicate that screening has begun for applicants to diplomatic posts across all 109 missions, including 11 international consulates, 22 high commissions, and 76 embassies.
Although the names of all nominees remain confidential, presidency sources reveal that the list includes a mix of career diplomats and political appointees.
A reporter with the ICIR
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