The Presidency has hit back at Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South, following his comments that President Bola Tinubu’s recent appointments are lopsided.

Ndume, speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Monday, claimed Tinubu’s appointments have not reflected the diversity mandated by section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution.

The Borno senator described the appointments as violations of the constitutional provision for federal character.

Responding to the lawmaker’s comments in a post shared via his X handle on Tuesday evening, Onanuga described Ndume’s criticism as “hypocritical” and “selective perception.”

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity stated that the lawmaker ignored key facts for political theatrics, accusing the Borno Senator of grandstanding as a moral authority on equity.

The presidential aide said Ndume forgot to mention during his interview that the president recently appointed two of his kinsmen to positions in Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

Onanuga said, “Senator Ali Ndume’s latest outburst on TV about so-called ‘lopsided appointments’ by President Tinubu reeks of hypocrisy and selective perception.

“While the Borno senator grandstanded as a moral authority on equity, he forgot to tell his interviewer that two of his kinsmen featured in recent NNPC Limited top appointments.

“The Chairman, appointed by President Tinubu, is from Ndume’s senatorial district. If Tinubu and his surrogates’ choices are so “tribal,” how did two of Ndume’s kinsmen clinch NNPC’s top roles?

“As a politician, Ndume has proven time and time again that he is allergic to facts and addicted to theatrics. His habit of firing half-baked criticisms — only to be contradicted by facts — proves he’s more interested in headline-chasing, rabble-rousing, stoking divisive narratives than offering constructive criticism.”