Onochie faults Tinubu’s ambassadorial list, accuses presidency of nepotism

Former presidential aide Lauretta Onochie has again taken to social media to criticise President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing his administration of nepotism and of rewarding those who opposed the previous Buhari government.

In a series of X posts on Sunday, Onochie, who served as Special Assistant on Digital and Social Media under President Muhammadu Buhari and later chaired the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), described the recently released ambassadorial nominees as “blatant nepotism.” She highlighted the regional distribution of the nominees:

“You are solidly in bed with nepotism,” she wrote, noting that the South‑West was disproportionately favoured.

Onochie also accused Tinubu of rewarding individuals who had worked against the APC‑led Buhari administration. “We will overlook the glaring fact of rewarding those who mobilised hostilities against President Buhari’s administration. Let’s just have ambassadors,” she said.

In a separate post titled “To Former President Muhammadu Buhari,” Onochie lamented that Nigerians now miss the Buhari era because of rising hunger, insecurity and poverty. She praised Buhari’s discipline, modest lifestyle and transparency about his health, and said she had joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to help “rescue” Nigeria.

She admitted that Buhari loyalists helped bring the Tinubu administration to power, but warned that they are “united in the bid to sack the government come 2027.”

Onochie’s latest outburst follows a similar open letter she released on August 15 2025, in which she accused Tinubu of turning the APC into a “private enterprise” and of rewarding wrongdoing.

Her comments underscore growing internal tensions within the APC as the 2027 elections approach, with debates over loyalty, governance style and the country’s direction intensifying.