The Tinubu Network Organization (TNO) has dismissed what it described as “baseless and politically motivated” allegations against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, following the reversal of Ms Muheeba Farida Dankaka’s appointment as Chairperson of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
In a statement signed by its Osun State Chairman, Dr. Jimoh Olorede, the group argued that Dankaka’s appointment in 2020 under former President Muhammadu Buhari was flawed, as it prolonged the North’s 29-year dominance of the FCC chairmanship contrary to the Commission’s founding principles of equity, fairness, and balance as enshrined in Decree No. 34 of 1996.
The statement recalled that during Dankaka’s confirmation at the Senate, Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South) had opposed her nomination on grounds of lopsidedness, stressing that the appointment violated the Commission’s tradition since both the Chair and Secretary positions were already occupied by Northerners.
TNO further highlighted allegations that trailed Dankaka’s tenure, including claims of job racketeering, recruitment fraud, and financial mismanagement, which were investigated by the House of Representatives in 2023. It also noted several petitions and protests by Commissioners, staff members, civil society groups, and even her former aide, Haruna Kolo, who testified against her before lawmakers.
According to the group, Dankaka’s credibility was further dented by questions over her academic qualifications, citing petitions that linked her to an unaccredited honorary PhD from a defunct institution. Multiple protests, including a 2021 demonstration by the National Youth Council of Nigeria and a 2023 vote of no confidence signed by 29 FCC Commissioners, underscored the growing loss of confidence in her leadership.
The organisation maintained that, given the weight of evidence and controversies, Dankaka should have been removed long before her tenure expired, adding that her removal and replacement by former federal lawmaker Hon. Ayo Omidiran from the South was consistent with the FCC’s mandate.
TNO therefore criticised what it called “sponsored Northern critics” for attempting to politicise the decision and for wrongly blaming Tinubu and Oyetola for Dankaka’s “failures rooted in incompetence, corruption, and leadership flaws.”
