Appointments: ADC says Tinubu remembered the North too late

DDM News

President Bola Tinubu is under fresh fire from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over recent political appointments targeting Northern Nigeria.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the opposition party has described the move as a panicked response rather than a sincere attempt at national unity.

In a strongly worded statement released Saturday, the ADC labeled the appointments as “too little, too late” to address long-standing Northern grievances.

The statement, signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the Tinubu administration of engaging in “political panic management.”

The ADC argued that the president’s new selections appear to be driven by desperation to regain lost trust in the North.

According to the party, the recent wave of appointments does not reflect genuine inclusion but instead symbolizes damage control.

“You cannot marginalise a region for over twenty-five months and expect applause simply because, in the twenty-sixth month, you suddenly remember that Nigeria is bigger than Lagos State,” Abdullahi stated.

The party said the president’s pattern of governance has been marked by “calculated neglect, presidential arrogance, and open favouritism.”

Abdullahi noted that the appointments were not enough to cover the deep fractures caused by Tinubu’s earlier decisions.

He linked the alleged marginalisation to broader government failures such as insecurity and harsh economic policies.

The ADC cited the removal of fuel subsidies and the worsening security crisis in the North as examples of policy negligence.

“For over a year, this government turned a blind eye while bandits terrorised the North, our farmers gave up their lands, and village economies crumbled under the weight of poor fuel subsidy policies,” Abdullahi said.

The party criticised the government for excluding Northern voices from critical national decisions.

They argued that these appointments now serve only as “consolation prizes” offered after the real damage had already been inflicted.

According to Abdullahi, symbolic gestures cannot replace genuine efforts to build national unity and inclusion.

He stressed that the people of Northern Nigeria will not be pacified with tokenism or superficial recognition.

“Tokenism is not inclusion, and symbolism is not governance,” he said pointedly.

The ADC urged the Tinubu government to abandon what it termed “Bourdillon-style appeasement politics.”

It called for a leadership approach rooted in broad consultation, equitable policy-making, and faithful adherence to Nigeria’s federal character principle.

The statement accused the administration of relying on public relations tactics rather than authentic leadership.

“You can’t fix a leaking roof with press statements and photo opportunities,” Abdullahi warned.

“And you certainly can’t rebuild public trust by pretending that appointments are a replacement for real leadership,” he added.

The ADC’s comments come amid increasing criticism from various quarters over Tinubu’s approach to national governance.

Observers say this may further heighten political tensions between the presidency and opposition forces in the coming weeks.

Many in the North have continued to express frustration over perceived neglect, even as insecurity, poverty, and infrastructural decay plague the region.

The ADC’s latest statement is seen as part of a broader effort to amplify Northern voices that feel sidelined by the current administration.

Political analysts believe Tinubu may now face growing resistance if deeper changes are not made to address regional imbalances.

The presidency has yet to officially respond to the ADC’s accusations at the time of this report.

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