The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that his appointments of the son of former military president, Ibrahim Babangida and other Northerners into government agencies, were “too little, too late.”
Tinubu on Friday, appointed Mohammad Babangida as Chairman of Bank of Agriculture, and six other Northerners as heads of other government agencies, with only Mrs. Tomi Somefun, MD, National Hydro-Electric Power Areas from Oyo State as only Southerner.
But ADC in a statement by interim National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described such appointments as Tokenism.
Abdullahi reminded the president that the region has been excluded for over 25 months of his presidency, stating that “Tokenism is not inclusion, and symbolism is not governance.
“You cannot marginalise a region for over 25 months and expect applause because you suddenly remembered on the 26 month that Nigeria is bigger than Lagos State.”
He described such appointments as a “desperate, cynical attempt to buy back the trust that he has spent over a year squandering, particularly in Northern Nigeria.”
The ADC’s spokesperson added that these appointments were nothing more than “political panic management,” a frantic attempt to bandage the gaping wounds inflicted on Northern Nigeria by over a year of calculated neglect, presidential arrogance and unprecedented nepotism.
He noted that for over a year, Tinubu’s government turned a blind eye as bandits terrorised villages in the north, as farmers abandoned their land, and rural economies crumbled under the weight of poorly thought-out fuel subsidy removal.
Said he, “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.
“Every major decision of this administration, from subsidy removal to a majority of the political appointments, have been taken without the North at the table.
“Now that the consequences of those decisions have become glaring, the president is doling out appointments as consolation prizes.”
According to him, Northerners as co-owners of Nigeria 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,” he added.
The party advised Tinubu to abandon what it described as “Bourdillon-style appeasement politics,” and embrace real national inclusion through consultation, policy equity, and sincere federal character.
