The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s latest appointments, describing them as a last-minute attempt to regain the confidence of Northern Nigerians after what it termed prolonged neglect.
In a strongly worded statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party condemned the appointments as “symbolic gestures” lacking in substance, alleging they were driven more by political expediency than a genuine commitment to addressing regional imbalance.
“You cannot sideline an entire region for over twenty-five months and expect applause just because you suddenly acknowledge, in the twenty-sixth month, that Nigeria extends beyond Lagos State,” Abdullahi remarked. He described the move as “political panic management,” aimed at concealing the consequences of what he called “deliberate marginalisation, presidential arrogance, and blatant favouritism.”
The ADC further linked the appointments to broader governance failures, particularly the controversial removal of fuel subsidies and the persistent insecurity in the North. Abdullahi accused the federal government of turning a blind eye to the deteriorating situation in the region, where banditry, displacement of farmers, and the collapse of rural economies have gone largely unaddressed.
“For over a year, the government remained silent while bandits terrorised communities, farmlands were abandoned, and local economies suffered under the strain of poorly managed fuel subsidy policies,” he said.
He also criticised the exclusion of Northern stakeholders from major decisions, including the subsidy removal and earlier appointments, adding that the new developments were nothing more than “consolation prizes” offered after the fact.
Abdullahi maintained that symbolic gestures cannot substitute for true inclusion or governance, insisting that Northerners would not be placated by what he described as “tokenistic” actions.
“Tokenism is not inclusion, and symbolism is not governance,” he asserted, urging the Tinubu administration to abandon what he called “Bourdillon-style appeasement politics” and instead pursue genuine national unity through inclusive policies, broad-based consultations, and adherence to the federal character principle.
“You don’t rebuild public trust with press releases and photo-ops. Leadership requires more than that,” Abdullahi concluded.