Ndume, Presidency bicker over alleged lopsided appointments
Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South in the National Assembly, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his political appointments since assuming office, accusing him of breaching constitutional provisions on federal character. However, the Presidency has dismissed Ndume’s claims, describing them as hypocritical and biased. Tinubu has faced criticism from various quarters over what some […]
ndume, presidency
Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South in the National Assembly, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his political appointments since assuming office, accusing him of breaching constitutional provisions on federal character.
However, the Presidency has dismissed Ndume’s claims, describing them as hypocritical and biased.
Tinubu has faced criticism from various quarters over what some see as a pattern of favouring his South-West base in key political appointments. Ndume, speaking during an interview on Arise TV, said the president’s appointments violated section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates equitable representation of Nigeria’s diverse regions in federal appointments.
Ndume, who was previously removed from his position as Senate Chief Whip, partly over his critical stance on the Tinubu administration, insisted that the appointments made so far had not reflected the diversity required by law.
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“The figures are there. It is not that I am just making accusations or that the president has no right to make appointments, but it is a constitutional provision. Section 14(3) of the constitution is very clear on that.
“When you look at it, vis-à-vis the appointments made so far, especially political appointments, it is obvious that they do not reflect the federal character. And that is not the case here,” he said.
The senator said his intervention was not personal but a call for the president to correct what he described as “infractions” before they lead to political consequences.
But in response, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, described Ndume’s outburst as hypocritical and misleading.
“Ndume’s latest outburst on TV about so-called ‘lopsided appointments’ by President Tinubu reeks of hypocrisy and selective perception,” Onanuga said.
He pointed out that two of Ndume’s kinsmen were recently appointed to top positions in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited by the president.
“The chairman appointed by President Tinubu is from Ndume’s senatorial district. If Tinubu’s appointments were truly tribal, how did two of Ndume’s kinsmen clinch top roles at the NNPC?” He queried.
Onanuga said Ndume had a pattern of ignoring facts and making provocative statements, adding that President Tinubu remains committed to building an inclusive government.