President Bola Tinubu’s reported plan to meet Southern Nigeria’s traditional rulers to secure 2027 re-election support has sparked criticism due to the skewed distribution of his administration’s ministerial appointments, heavily favoring the Southwest. The cabinet includes 10 Southwest appointees (Petroleum, Interior, Education, Communication, Trade and Investment, Solid Minerals, Blue Economy, Finance, Youth Development, Power, plus heads of Customs, FAAN, Army, and Immigration), three from the South-South (Aviation, FCT, Regional Development), and two from the Southeast (Works, Science and Technology). Critics argue this imbalance undermines Tinubu’s “Southern Solidarity” narrative, with sentiments like, “It’s Southwest dominance, not unity.”
The lopsided appointments fuel perceptions that the 2027 election is not a South-versus-North contest but a referendum on Nigeria’s governance, with public debt at ₦187 trillion (50.16% of the rebased ₦372.8 trillion GDP) and 63% of Nigerians (133 million) multi-dimensionally poor, per a 2024 UNDP report. Nigerians demand equitable leadership over regional favoritism, viewing the election as a call for inclusive development.
