Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has spoken out against President Bola Tinubu’s appointments, claiming that they are mostly given to his close allies rather than being regionally balanced.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time program, El-Rufai dismissed claims that Tinubu’s appointments were biased towards the Southwest or the Yoruba people.

He emphasized that the Yoruba should not be blamed, just as Northerners were unfairly blamed during military rule when a Northern leader made poor decisions.

El-Rufai explained that in Yoruba culture, there is a distinction between an omoluabi—a person with strong morals—and an area boy, implying that Tinubu is appointing people based on personal loyalty rather than merit or regional representation.

He acknowledged that the appointments are not well-balanced and warned that there is growing frustration in the North. According to him, those telling Tinubu that everything is fine would not be able to convince Northern voters to support the APC or Tinubu in future elections.

El-Rufai urged the president to address the issue, saying it is not too late to make adjustments and ensure fair representation across the country.