Ministerial Appointment and Meritocracy under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Nigeria

This study examined constitutional provisions for appointing ministers in Nigeria, evaluated the merit or otherwise of appointing and allocating portfolios to ministers under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It then identified the implications of appointing old allies as ministers, and determined the factors that influenced President Tinubu’s appointment of ministers outside his political party. The study is a descriptive research design and adopted mixed methods. The study utilised questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The sample size for the questionnaire was three hundred using Taro Yamane formula, and administered to party members, journalists, and civil society groups. We conducted interviews with twelve key informants. Quantitative data were analyzed using percentages while thematic content analysis was used for qualitative data. The study revealed that Nigerian constitution (as amended) provided for ministerial appointment process but President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not appoint or allocate portfolios to ministers based on merit. The implications of appointing old allies as ministers include prevention of corruption, slowing down of governance and nepotism. Loyalty, inclusivity, competence and second term ambition are some of the factors that influenced ministerial appointment outside President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political party. The study concluded that ministerial appointment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was more of political consideration. Received: 04 January 2026 / Accepted: 26 February 2026 / Published: March 2026