The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s recent appointments, calling them a ‘desperate and cynical attempt’ to win back the trust of Northern Nigerians after more than a year of alleged neglect.
The party described the move as ‘too little, too late,’ accusing the government of offering symbolic gestures instead of real solutions to growing dissatisfaction in the region.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the appointments appeared to be a panicked response rather than a sincere effort to correct the regional imbalance in governance.
“You cannot marginalise a region for over twenty-five months and expect applause simply because, in the twenty-sixth month, you suddenly remember that Nigeria is bigger than Lagos State,” Abdullahi said. He described the appointments as ‘political panic management’ aimed at covering up the damage caused by ‘calculated neglect, presidential arrogance, and open favouritism.’
The ADC linked the move to wider government failures, including the removal of fuel subsidies and worsening insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
Abdullahi said the government had ignored the suffering in the region for more than a year, even as bandits attacked villages, farmers fled their lands, and rural communities faced collapse.
“For over a year, this government turned a blind eye while bandits terrorised the North, our farmers gave up their lands, and village economies crumbled under the weight of poor fuel subsidy policies,” he added.
He also accused the Tinubu administration of excluding Northern voices from key decisions, such as the fuel subsidy removal and earlier appointments, only to now offer what he called ‘consolation prizes’ after the damage had been done.
Abdullahi stressed that Northerners, as equal stakeholders in the country, would not be fooled by symbolic appointments.
“Tokenism is not inclusion, and symbolism is not governance,” he said.
The ADC urged the Tinubu administration to drop what it called ‘Bourdillon-style appeasement politics’ and instead commit to genuine national inclusion through proper consultation, fair policies, and full respect for the federal character principle.
“You can’t fix a leaking roof with press statements and photo opportunities. And you certainly can’t rebuild public trust by pretending that appointments are a replacement for real leadership,” Abdullahi added.
