A political analyst and public commentator, Mahdi Shehu has slammed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the distribution of portfolios to Ministers-Designate.
In an interview on Arise TV, Shehu accused the president of repeating the same insensitivity displayed by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
He stated that Tinubu highly favoured the Southwest and South-South, while refusing to give same favour to the South-East because they refused to support him in the 2023 presidential election.
According to Shehu, Tinubu may have favoured the South-South to compensate former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and ex militant warlord, Asari Dokubo.
He said, “At Tinubu’s coming there were serious objections, serious exasperations. 14 million people said they didn’t like him. There were so many questions surrounding him, around his education, his personality, etcetera. He should have factored all these into consideration. He would have acted differently but he decided to act in the same way, in the same manner, style and in the same spirit as Buhari. Between Buhari and Tinubu there is no difference.
“Look at what goes to the South-West from the list, the acting Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is from the South- West, all commercial banks, all financial institutions, 90 percent of microfinance banks, shippers’ council, and communications. Under communications, you have the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), NIPOST. The coordinating Minister of the Economy, Accountant General, Auditor General, all MDAs, Marine, Agro-economy, Power, Solid Minerals, Petroleum, and Justice, in addition to being the senior Minister of Petroleum, also the President and calling the last shot.
“He also took Health, Environmental, and Ecology, a total of 12 senior Ministers and eight junior Ministers. If you have a mental picture of what he gave to the South- West, it is like you have the Oduduwa Republic in the making.
“He is carving the way for the Republic of Biafra and forcing the north to consider being annexed by the Niger Republic or Cameroun. It is a matter of Buhari’s insensitivity being repeated.
“If you go to the South- East, what you have in the South-East is similar to what you have in Matthew Chapter 16 verses 26 and 28. The South-East was given the crumbs. Ministry of Works, senior, Women Affairs, senior, Labour, junior, Trade, senior, Ecological, senior. Put together these, and they’re not up to the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA). In other words, they are telling the South-East to think twice about Obi, next time around. That is your crime.
“The story is different from the South-South. If you go to South-South, Aviation, senior, youth, senior, FCT, senior, Humanitarian Affairs, senior, Sports and Petroleum, junior. What are they saying? It is as if they are saying, Mark chapter 1 verse 11, which says, “You are my sons I love, in whom I am well pleased”.