Determined to set the records straight, the presidency has faulted the claim by lawmaker representing Borno South senatorial district, Ali Ndume, that President Bola Tinubu has limited his appointment of Ministers, Special Advisers and others into public offices to certain region of the country, saying the Borno senator’s claim as half-baked criticisms.
It stated that the lawmaker, rather than offer constructive criticism that aids the administration to achieve desired purpose, was often stoking divisive narratives.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who condemned the lawmaker’s claim, urged Ndume to elevate public discourse and avoid misinformation and baseless criticism.
According to him, this is a disservice to the nation and the behaviour least expected from a Nigerian senator.
”While the Borno senator grandstanded as a moral authority on equity, he forgot to tell his interviewer that two of his kinsmen featured in recent NNPC Limited top appointments.
”The Chairman, appointed by President Tinubu, is from Ndume’s senatorial district. If Tinubu and his surrogates’ choices are so “tribal,” how did two of Ndume’s kinsmen clinch NNPC’s top roles?
”As a politician, Ndume has proven time and time again that he is allergic to facts and addicted to theatrics. His habit of firing half-baked criticisms—only to be contradicted by facts—proves he’s more interested in headline-chasing, rabble rousing, stoking divisive narratives than offering constructive criticism.
”President Tinubu is deeply committed to fostering a government that embraces all Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic or regional affiliations. He aims to harness our nation’s diverse strengths to achieve a common goal: building a prosperous Nigeria.
”The President’s appointments are—and will continue to be—based on merit, integrity, geographical spread and a demonstrable capacity to serve the Nigerian people, not Ndume’s cherry-picked tribal arithmetic.
The response came after the lawmaker’s outburst while responding to question on a pubul;ar television program yesterday, where he faulted the appointments made by the president including that of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
