Lopsided Appointments: “You’re playing with fire,” Afenifere tells Tinubu
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has issued a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu regarding what it describes as a troubling bias in his federal appointments, favouring the Yoruba ethnic group. In a statement released in Ibadan, Oyo State, the group expressed its concerns through its leaders, Ayo Adebanjo and Justice Faleye.
Afenifere highlighted that this trend of appointments could undermine inter-ethnic relations and threaten the peaceful coexistence of Nigerians. The group demanded that President Tinubu rectify this perceived imbalance.
READ ALSO: Afenifere blames Tinubu for economic sabotage
The statement emphasized, “We can never condone the outrageous bias by Tinubu to make Yorubas head of all arms of the criminal justice system (including the EFCC, DSS, Attorney-General, and Chief Justice); the economy (such as the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, CBN, Finance, Blue Economy, Digital Economy, Trade, Industries and Investment, Bank of Industry, Solid Minerals); as well as the forces (army, police, customs, immigration, DSS).”
Afenifere pointed out the hypocrisy of supporting Yoruba dominance after decades of fighting against what they term Fulani hegemony. The group critiqued former President Buhari’s appointments, arguing that Tinubu’s actions represent an even more pronounced regional bias, prioritising a single ethnicity over a more equitable distribution across Nigeria’s diverse regions.
READ ALSO: Afenifere and the progressive camp (2), by Abiodun Komolafe
The statement also referenced the group’s founder, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who famously cautioned against conflating Afenifere’s mission with purely Yoruba interests. “By the virtue of our name, Afenifere, meaning those that want good for all humans, and as omoluabi Yorubas, we won’t support any government that engages in undemocratic practices,” the statement continued. Afenifere stated that it could not endorse a government whose policies have allegedly pushed over 14 million Nigerians into poverty.
While acknowledging their historical support for Tinubu, particularly during his rise to power in 1999, Afenifere made it clear that their current stance was one of disillusionment, asserting that they were more aligned with Peter Obi’s presidential campaign, led by Afenifere chieftain Akin Osuntokun.
The controversy intensified following the recent appointment of Major General Olufemi Oluyede as Acting Chief of Army Staff. Critics, particularly on social media, accused Tinubu of promoting a “Yorubanisation” agenda, implying that he is disproportionately favouring the Yoruba in military appointments. This appointment, made in the absence of General Tahoreed Lagbaja for health reasons, sparked debates about the fairness of the selection process.
READ ALSO: Tinubu appoints acting Army Chief amid Lagbaja extended absence
In response to the backlash, the Presidency defended the administration’s record on regional representation in security appointments. Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications and Orientation, released a breakdown of the heads of security agencies appointed by Tinubu. According to Dare, the North West has the highest number of appointees (eight), followed by the South West (five) and North Central (four), while the North East, South South, and South East have three, one, and one appointee, respectively.
“Facts do not lie. Below we see laid bare the facts about the regional outlook of President Tinubu’s appointments within 20 security agencies. The label of him favouring Yorubas in the Security setup does not fit. Nigeria we hail thee!” Dare stated on X, previously known as Twitter.
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