President Bola Tinubu has removed Muheeba Dankaka from her position as Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), only hours after the presidency had announced her reappointment for another five-year term.
Earlier on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, the president’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, issued a statement confirming her reappointment.
Alongside that announcement, Tinubu also named Mohammed Musa as the commission’s secretary and retained Kayode Oladele, representing Ogun State, as commissioner.
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However, in a swift turn of events, the presidency released another statement declaring that Ayo Omidiran, a former member of the House of Representatives, would take over as FCC chairperson.
“Omidiran succeeds Dr Muheeba Dankaka, whose tenure was dogged by controversy,” the statement reads.
While Musa was confirmed as secretary and Oladele retained his role as commissioner, Oladele — also a former House of Representatives member — had been appointed by Tinubu in 2024 and briefly served as acting chairman of the commission.
The president also renewed the appointments of Lawal Ya’u Roni (Jigawa), Abubakar Atiku Bunu (Kebbi), and Eludayo Eluyemi (Osun) as state representatives. In addition, Abdulwasiu Kayode Bawalla was reappointed as commissioner from Lagos State.
Dankaka’s tenure had been marked by allegations of misconduct. In July 2023, some commissioners accused her of high-handed leadership and involvement in job racketeering.
The accusations were made during a session with the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating recruitment practices, employment fraud, and the mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) in federal agencies and institutions.
They alleged that she had run the commission in clear breach of the FCC Act — claims she strongly denied.In June, a group identifying itself as the ‘Concerned staff members of the FCC’ issued a public warning against her reappointment, saying, “to reappoint Dankaka would not only reward failure — it would legitimize corruption, deepen division and destroy the last threads of trust in the FCC.”
“The presidency must listen to the workers, commissioners, whistleblowers, and civil society groups who have consistently spoken out. Muheeba Dankaka must not return to the office,” the group’s statement added.
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