•Bayo Onanuga and Senator Ali Ndume
The presidency has dismissed allegations of lopsided appointments under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the claim by Senator Ali Ndume as hypocritical and misleading.
In a reaction posted yesterday via his verified X handle, @aonanuga1956, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Borno South senator is “allergic to facts and addicted to theatrics.”
Onanuga’s response comes after Ndume accused President Tinubu of favouring certain regions in his recent appointments, sparking debates across political circles, reports The Nation.
“Senator Ali Ndume’s latest outburst on TV about so-called ‘lopsided appointments’ by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reeks of hypocrisy and selective perception.
“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”, Onanuga wrote.
He pointed out that the Chairman of NNPC Limited, who was appointed by President Tinubu, hails from Ndume’s own senatorial district in Borno State.
“If Tinubu and his surrogates’ choices are so ‘tribal,’ how did two of Ndume’s kinsmen clinch NNPC’s top roles?” he queried.
The presidential aide accused Ndume of repeatedly engaging in populist rhetoric without regard for verifiable facts.
“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,” he added.
Onanuga reaffirmed the president’s commitment to inclusive governance, saying Tinubu’s appointments are based on merit, integrity, and national spread.
“President Tinubu is deeply committed to fostering a government that embraces all Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic or regional affiliations,” he said.
He urged the senator to “elevate public discourse and avoid misinformation and baseless criticism,” warning that such behaviour was “a disservice to the nation and the behaviour least expected from a Nigerian Senator.”
