The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s ambassadorial nominations, describing the inclusion of former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, as insensitive and damaging to Nigeria’s democratic credibility.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said, “After waiting for more than two years, and with Nigeria’s diplomacy and global perception in historic tatters, President Bola Tinubu presents an outrageously underwhelming ambassadorial list that appears designed to settle his political IOUs rather than fix Nigeria’s urgent international relations crises.”
The party argued that rather than rebuilding Nigeria’s diplomatic image, the President has presented “a comic cast of political jobbers, corruption suspects, and a patronage of wives, children, and relatives of his political associates,” at a time the country urgently needs professionalism and credibility in its foreign missions.
Central to the ADC’s outrage is the nomination of Yakubu, who supervised the contentious 2023 general elections.
The party said, “However, at the heart of this troubling list lies the nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who conducted the election that brought Tinubu in as President of Nigeria.”
Describing the appointment as inappropriate, the ADC noted, “The ADC views the appointment of Prof. Yakubu as embarrassingly insensitive, especially coming barely two years after supervising a highly controversial election that ushered in President Tinubu as President and only a few weeks after leaving office as INEC Chairman.”
“This particular appointment of Prof. Yakubu blurs what should be a distinct line between players and umpires,” it said.
Warning of long-term consequences, the ADC said, “If allowed to stand, it would set a dangerous precedent where future INEC chairmen and commissioners may begin to see their positions as stepping stones to future political rewards.
“Once that mindset enters the bloodstream of our electoral system, neutrality becomes impossible, partisanship becomes inevitable, and elections become transactional.”
The party further questioned the criteria guiding the nominations, stating, “A cursory review of the list would show that almost all the nominees fall into three categories: former career diplomats or ambassadors, political supporters or their relatives, and members of the president’s political party.
“We wonder in which of these three categories Prof. Yakubu belongs. The implication of this is deeply unsettling indeed.”
While acknowledging that no law bars former electoral officials from immediate political appointments, the ADC stressed the need for ethical safeguards.
“We are aware that there is no stipulated ‘cooling off’ period under our laws, but even when the law is silent, ethical standards must be upheld, especially when the situation attacks the very foundation of our democracy.”
The party urged Yakubu to decline the appointment, saying, “We therefore call on Prof. Yakubu to do the patriotic thing and reject this appointment for the sake of INEC’s institutional credibility, the integrity of future elections, and the preservation of his own legacy.”
It concluded with a call to the legislature: “Failing to do so, we call on the Senate to reject his nomination in the interest of our democracy.”
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu transmitted a second batch of ambassadorial nominees to the Senate, forwarding 32 additional names just days after submitting an initial list of three.
In two separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu urged the Senate to “consider and confirm expeditiously” 15 career ambassadorial nominees and 17 non-career nominees.
This development was disclosed in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, a media aide to President Tinubu, on Saturday.
Among the non-career nominees, the Presidency highlighted notable figures including Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta); former INEC Chairman, Mahmud Yakubu; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; and former Enugu Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Others include Tasiu Musa Maigari, the former speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly, Yakubu N. Gambo, a former Commissioner in Plateau State and former deputy executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
“Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, a former senator from Plateau; Otunba Femi Pedro, a former deputy governor of Lagos State; Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister from Osun State; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State are on the nomination list,” one of the letters read.
“Also on the list are former First Lady of Oyo, Fatima Florence Ajimobi, former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande, former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent, former governor of Abia, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, businessman, lawyer and Senator from Ondo State, and the former ambassador of Nigeria to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue State.”
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