Ndume Spoke The Minds Of Nigerians – Umar Sani Replies Presidency

Former spokesman to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, Umar Sani, has condemned attacks on Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, for criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s appointment.

Naija News reported that Senator Ndume, on Monday, accused President Tinubu of engaging in lopsided appointments.

Ndume said unless the President corrects his appointments, it may boomerang. He noted that the President’s appointments failed to uphold the principle of unity and inclusivity contained in his Renewed Hope Agenda.

In reaction, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, accused Ndume of speaking without fact.

He stated that the President appointed Borno State indigenes to the board of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

“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. The Chairman, appointed by President Tinubu, is from Ndume’s senatorial district. If Tinubu and his surrogates’ choices are so “tribal,” how did two of Ndume’s kinsmen clinch NNPC’s top roles?” Bayo said.

Reacting to Bayo’s statement, Sani, former spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign council, in 2019, stressed that the former Chief Whip of the Senate was right to point out the imbalance in Tinubu’s appointment.

“Ali Ndume eloquently expressed the concerns of discerning Nigerians when he addressed the constitutional breaches in federal appointments. The appointment of his kinsman to the top position at NNPCL does not diminish the validity of his statements.

“Moreover, the recent appointments within NNPCL appear to have been made in pursuit of French interests, rather than prioritizing the welfare of our nation. The Chairman and Managing Director/CEO were selected to represent French companies, ELF and Total, rather than reflecting a balanced demographic representation.

“We fully support Ndume’s position and call on the President to rectify this anomaly by ensuring a more equitable geographical distribution in future federal appointments,” he wrote on his 𝕏 handle.