The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s appointment record, stating that a breakdown of recent appointments shows a fair distribution across Nigeria’s regions, with the North receiving slightly more slots than the South.

According to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, President Tinubu has so far appointed 71 individuals from the North and 63 from the South into key federal positions.

This comes as Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, accused Tinubu of lopsided appointments.

Stressing that Tinubu’s appointments are sectional, Ndume said they fall short of the federal character principle.

Dare made this known via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Wednesday, amid ongoing debate over perceived regional imbalance in federal appointments.

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He argued that the President remains committed to equity, competence, and national unity in all his decisions, insisting that Tinubu has never been driven by tribal or religious sentiment.

“People tend to isolate new appointments so far made by the President and examine them with a tribal lens,” Dare said. “But it is too early to conclude that appointments are lopsided. Tinubu has barely completed two years in office and there are still plenty more appointments coming.”

A further breakdown of the 63 southern appointments shows that the South-West leads with 26 appointees, followed by the South-South with 21, and the South-East with 16.

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Dare also pointed to Tinubu’s time as Governor of Lagos State as proof of his detribalised nature, noting that his cabinet then included individuals from across the country, regardless of origin.

“As President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains the same man who is not blinded by the cloak of tribe or religion,” he said.

He maintained that a more expansive and unbiased analysis would show that the Tinubu administration is on the right path with respect to federal character and national inclusion.