Avoid Buhari's mistakes – Northern youths tell Tinubu

The youth group, which represents northern interests, urged President Tinubu not to replicate what they termed 'lopsided appointments' akin to his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.

The NYLF acknowledged that northerners lack grounds to criticise Tinubu's appointments directly. Still, they expressed their firm belief that the country should move away from the alleged disparities witnessed in the past.

Critics, including prominent northern figure Ahmad Gumi, have accused President Tinubu of favoring the southern region in his appointments. Gumi claimed that more Southern Christians were chosen for key positions, sidelining northerners who supported Tinubu during his ascent to power.

Addressing the media, the National President of NYLF, Elliot Afiyo, highlighted his concerns about the widening gap of alleged lopsided appointments inherited from the Buhari era.

Afiyo revealed that Buhari's administration, from 2015 to 2023, created a significant appointment gap, allocating 80 percent to the north and 20 percent to the south.

Afiyo urged President Tinubu not to follow Buhari's pattern, noting the necessity for a departure from previous administrations' biased appointments that favored specific regions at the expense of others.

He pointed out that even previous leaders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, attempted to address the disparities upon returning to power in 1999.

"We, as northerners, might not have the right to complain about the alleged lopsided appointments directly. However, as responsible citizens, we must question the direction our nation is heading. Can we sustain this pattern? Where are we going as a nation? There is a pressing need for us to strike a balance," Afiyo asserted.