The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has slammed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s latest round of political appointments, accusing him of attempting to regain lost trust in Northern Nigeria with symbolic gestures.

In a fiery statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the appointments—some of which include Northern figures like the son of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida—as a belated attempt at damage control after over a year of what it called “neglect and marginalization.”

“You cannot exclude a region for over two years and expect applause for suddenly remembering them in your third year,” the ADC said. It labeled the appointments as “political panic management,” criticizing Tinubu’s approach as insincere and driven by rising political pressure.

The party accused the administration of ignoring the North during critical policy decisions, including the removal of fuel subsidies, which it claims devastated rural livelihoods and worsened insecurity.

“For more than a year, the government allowed insecurity to fester in the North while farming communities suffered and local economies collapsed,” Abdullahi said.

Now, with public dissatisfaction mounting and opposition forces gaining momentum, the ADC believes the president is trying to make amends with what it sees as token gestures rather than genuine inclusion.

“Appointing a few Northerners at this stage is not a solution. These are not acts of unity; they’re political stunts,” the statement added.

The ADC called on Tinubu to adopt a more inclusive and consultative leadership style, urging a break from what it called “Bourdillon-style appeasement politics”—a reference to Tinubu’s political base in Lagos.

The party concluded by warning that trust cannot be restored through press releases or strategic photo-ops, but only through consistent, fair, and inclusive governance that reflects the true federal character of Nigeria.