Tinubu's Appointments: Presidency Knocks Ali Ndume

• The presidency has faulted Borno South Senator Ali Ndume's claims that President Bola Tinubu's appointment was lopsided
• Bayo Onanuga, the president's special adviser on information and strategy, noted that Ndume's outburst was hypocritical and misleading
• According to Onanuga, the Borno senator did not tell his interviewer that two of his brothers were just being appointed into the NNPC Limited leadership by President Tinubu

Aso-Rock, Abuja - The presidency has tackled Ali Ndume, the senator representing Borno South, over his allegation that President Bola Tinubu's appointments so far had been lopsided and that it should be corrected.

Bayo Onanuga, the president's special adviser on information and strategy, maintained that the Borno senator's allegation was hypocritical and misleading. According to Onanuga, Ndume is a Nigerian politician who is allergic to facts and addicted to theatrics.

Onanuga's comment was a reaction to Ndume's allegation that President Tinubu has been favouring a particular region in his appointments, leading to debate among the political class.

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The presidency explained that the senator's outburst on TV about the alleged lopsided appointments by President Tinubu reeked of selective perception and hypocrisy.

Tinubu appoints two of Ndume's kinsmen to NNPC

Onanuga noted that the Borno senator was trying to present himself as a moral authority on equity but did not remember to tell his interviewer that two of his kinsmen were recently appointed into the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited top management.

According to the presidency, the recently appointed chairman of NNPC Limited by President Tinubu was from the senatorial district of Senator Ndume in Borno.

He then wondered how two of Ndume's kinsmen made it to the NNPC major roles if President Tinubu and "his surrogates’ choices were so ‘tribal."

The presidential aide accused the senator of continuously engaging in public rhetoric without taking his time to verify the facts.

The presidency's statement read in part:

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“His habit of firing half-baked criticisms—only to be contradicted by facts—proves he’s more interested in headline-chasing, rabble rousing, and stoking divisive narratives than offering constructive criticism,”

Are Tinubu's appointments based on merit?

Onanuga then reaffirmed President Tinubu's commitment to an all-inclusive administration, adding that the presidential appointments are based on merit, integrity and national spread.

The presidential aide emphasised that Tinubu was committed to leading a government that gives room for all Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic or regional affiliation.

He advised that the Borno senator should elevate public discourse and distance himself from misinformation, warning that such behaviour of disservice to the country was least expected from a senator.

Onanuga's full statement is below:

Presidency announces Tinubu's travel plan

Legit.ng earlier reported that the presidency disclosed that President Bola Tinubu will be travelling out of Nigeria to France on Wednesday, April 2.

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Presidency breaks silence on alleged sack of INEC chairman Yakubu

According to a statement by the president's spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu will be in Paris on a two-week working visit.

President Tinubu is expected to review the achievements of his administration in the last two years, ahead of his anniversary, during his stay in France.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng