 has taken aim at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s latest list of ambassadorial nominees){kind=link}
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken aim at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s latest list of ambassadorial nominees, arguing that the appointments reflect political compensation rather than a commitment to rebuilding Nigeria’s diplomatic stature.
In a strongly worded statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party criticised what it called “a catalogue of IOU settlements,” insisting that the inclusion of former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, raises fresh doubts about the independence of Nigeria’s electoral system.
According to Abdullahi, the timing of Yakubu’s nomination, coming barely two years after supervising the contentious 2023 general election, deepens public suspicion that the country’s electoral umpire has been compromised.
He argued that the move “feeds the very narrative Nigerians have struggled to shake off since the polls.”
Moreover, the ADC maintained that INEC is still facing one of its worst crises of public confidence, hence any action that appears to reward its former leadership further erodes trust.
“This appointment sends the wrong signal at the wrong time,” the statement said, stressing that the optics alone “undermine whatever institutional credibility remains.”
The party urged Prof. Yakubu to decline the nomination, describing it as “brazenly insensitive,” and called on the Senate to reject it should he accept.
Abdullahi insisted that safeguarding the integrity of elections required a clear boundary between electoral officials and political beneficiaries.
“Once electoral referees begin to see their roles as a pathway to political rewards, neutrality dies,” he said.
“That is how election management becomes transactional, and democracy begins to wobble.”
The ADC also questioned the overall composition of the nominee list, alleging that many individuals fall into predictable clusters: political allies, relatives of the powerful, and former diplomats recycled into service.
The party challenged the presidency to justify how Yakubu fits into any category that strengthens Nigeria’s foreign policy or global standing.
Furthermore, the party argued that even in the absence of a legal “cooling-off period” for former INEC officials, ethical judgment should guide decisions that touch the credibility of national institutions.
Abdullahi stressed that the symbolic value of the appointment was as important as its legal basis.
The ADC concluded by urging the Senate to demonstrate responsibility by rejecting Yakubu’s nomination if he does not step aside voluntarily, insisting that doing so would help restore a measure of public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
The broader debate over the ambassadorial list is expected to intensify in the coming days, as political observers assess what the nominations reveal about the administration’s priorities and Nigeria’s image abroad.