The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has slammed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent appointments, calling them a “desperate, cynical attempt to buy back the trust that he has spent over a year squandering, particularly in Northern Nigeria.”
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the appointments as “too little, too late,” arguing that the administration has marginalised the North for over two years.
“You cannot marginalise a region for over twenty-five months and expect applause because you suddenly remembered on the twenty-sixth month that Nigeria is bigger than Lagos State,” Abdullahi said.
The party accused the Tinubu government of engaging in “political panic management,” claiming the move is a frantic attempt to appease rising public anger and the growing strength of the opposition in the North.
“For over a year, this government turned a blind eye as bandits terrorised villages in the North, as farmers abandoned their lands, and as rural economies crumbled under the weight of poorly thought-out fuel subsidy removal,” Abdullahi said. “Now, under the heat of public discontent, the President suddenly remembers there are Nigerians to appoint into positions outside his Lagos.”
The ADC insisted that Northerners would not be deceived by what it described as “token appointments,” noting that real inclusion requires meaningful consultation and policy fairness.
“Tokenism is not inclusion, and symbolism is not governance,” the statement added.
The party urged the Tinubu administration to abandon “Bourdillon-style appeasement politics” and focus on real nation-building through equitable policies and genuine national unity.
“You cannot patch a broken roof with press releases and photo-ops,” the ADC concluded. “Trust can only be restored through sincere commitment to the federal character principle and inclusive governance.”
