The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s recent appointments, describing them as an attempt to regain the trust of Northern Nigerians after over years of “neglect.”

In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the move amounted to “political panic management,” rather than sincere efforts at national inclusion.

“You cannot marginalise a region for over twenty-five months and expect applause because you suddenly remembered on the twenty-sixth month that Nigeria is bigger than Lagos State,” the statement read.

The ADC accused the administration of calculated neglect, saying the North had been systematically sidelined from critical decision-making since the inception of the Tinubu presidency.

“For over a year, this government turned a blind eye as bandits terrorised villages in the North, as our farmers abandoned their land, and as rural economies crumbled under the weight of poorly thought-out fuel subsidy removal.

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“Now, under the rising heat of public discontent, and with the emergence of a formidable opposition coalition gaining traction in the North and across the country, President Tinubu suddenly remembers that there are Nigerians to appoint into positions outside his Lagos,” Abdullahi stated.

The ADC argued that every major policy and appointment under the current administration had occurred with minimal Northern representation, stressing that recent gestures were nothing more than “consolation prizes.”

“But Northerners, as co-owners of our great federal republic, know better than to be deceived by these token appointments. They see through President Tinubu’s actions — and can sense that this is not genuine. Tokenism is not inclusion, and symbolism is not governance,” the ADC national publicity secretary said.

The party also called on the President to abandon what it termed “Bourdillon-style appeasement politics,” and instead pursue genuine national unity through broad-based consultation, policy fairness, and adherence to the principles of federal character.

“You cannot patch a broken roof with press releases and photo-ops. And you certainly cannot restore the trust that you have lost with the public by pretending that titles are a substitute for genuine commitment to nation-building,” the statement read.

‘Insensitive and Unacceptable’

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has responded to comments made by the ADC concerning the state burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing the opposition party’s remarks as “insensitive and unacceptable.”

In a statement shared on X by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, and signed by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on Friday, the ruling party accused the ADC of politicising a period of national mourning for political gain.

“The party’s criticism of the dignified state burial accorded to the late President is as spooky as it is unconscionable. Again, the ADC has showcased itself to be without any understanding of customary state practice and lacking empathy and essential humanity,” Morka said.