As criticism mounts over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s alleged favoritism towards the southwest in political appointments, former senator Shehu Sani has stepped in to defend the president, arguing that the administration of ex-president Muhammadu Buhari was even more lopsided.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sani responded to recent concerns raised by northern figures like Senator Ali Ndume, who claimed that Tinubu’s government lacks inclusiveness. According to Sani, many Nigerians are conveniently forgetting how appointments were heavily skewed during Buhari’s time in office.

He recalled that several key federal positions under Buhari were filled by people from his home state, Katsina. “The DG of SSS was from Katsina, NIA from Katsina, the ports authority was headed by my sister Hadiza from Katsina, Federal Mortgage Bank, SMEDAN, FRCN, NIMET, NIMASA, Railway Corporation — all from Katsina,” he said.

Sani also pointed out the dominance of northerners in the country’s security structure during those eight years. “Immigration, Customs, Civil Defence, FRSC, Police, Army, Navy — all were headed by northerners at a time,” he added.

He noted that many who are now vocal against Tinubu were silent when similar advantages benefited their own regions. “I’d take their criticisms more seriously if they had spoken up when the same thing was happening under Buhari. But they didn’t,” he said.

While Sani acknowledged that Tinubu’s government must avoid repeating Buhari’s mistakes, he also made it clear that pretending Buhari’s administration was more inclusive is dishonest. “Two wrongs don’t make a right, but let’s not rewrite history. Buhari laid the foundation for what we’re seeing now.”

He ended with a word of caution to Tinubu: “He must not follow that same path. This country is too divided and too fragile for favoritism. Balance is key if we’re to stay united.”