The Presidency has issued an apology after releasing an appointments breakdown that omitted key names and fuelled criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s alleged regional bias.
Critics had seized on a list published to demonstrate balance across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, which credited 29 appointees to the South West, 35 to the North West, 22 to the South‑South, 16 to the South East, 25 to the North Central and 24 to the North East.
Senator Ali Ndume (APC‑Borno South) publicly challenged the tally on Arise TV, arguing that it flouted the federal character principle.
To counter those claims, the Presidency distributed the zone‑by‑zone breakdown—but omitted the name of the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, among others. The exclusion reinforced perceptions of under‑representation of the South East and cast doubt on the list’s accuracy.
On X, Sunday Dare, the President’s Spokesperson, acknowledged the errors. “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,” he wrote, without explaining why Gbajabiamila’s name was missing.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, whose second term as INEC Chairman ends later this year, remains in office, and any fresh appointments will follow the constitutionally mandated nomination, DSS profiling, Council of State review and Senate confirmation process.
