Ndume finally sings Tinubu's praises after giving appointments to 6 Northerners

Ali Ndume, a former Senate leader and senator representing Borno South, has made a u-turn on his criticism of President Bola Tinubu on the lopsidedness in this appointment so far. This is as Ndume praised Tinubu for his recent appointments of northerners in some key positions in the federal agencies.

Ndume, in a statement he signed personally and issued in Abuja on Saturday, May 24, commended President Tinubu for responding to his earlier concerns over his allegation of regional imbalance in his administration's appointments.

According to The Punch, the senator's comment followed Tinubu's announcement of 12 new appointees from the northern region into strategic national positions.

The new appointees are the managing director of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation, Yazid Shehu Danfulani (Zamfara); the programme manager of the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, Hamza Baba (Kano); the executive director of Operations at NAIC, Abubakar Jarengol (Adamawa); and the executive director of Administration at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Sama’ila Audu (Katsina).

Other appointees include the executive secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, Prof. Musa Tafsiri (Kebbi); and the Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Isa Aremu (Kwara).

Recall that Ndume had previously condemned Tinubu's administration over the alleged marginalisation of the north in his appointment. He had cited Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates fair representation of Nigeria's diverse regions.

The Borno senator earlier warned that if such an imbalance continued, it would deepen the discontent and strengthen opposition against President Tinubu's government.

But in a statement on Saturday, Ndume commended Tinubu for responding to the concerns he had raised, describing the recent appointment as a reflection of his openness to feedback and his commitment to national unity.

His statement reads in part:

“President Tinubu is someone who surrenders to constructive criticism. I have known him to be a fair-minded, cosmopolitan person. No one is infallible."

Ndume explained that the northern leaders, including himself, were concerned about the alleged lopsidedness in the previous appointment Tinubu had made. He said his criticism was not an attack and emphasised the importance of the constitutional issue.

Source: Legit.ng