By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has sharply criticised President Bola Tinubu’s newly released list of ambassadorial nominees, describing it as a “settlement list” crafted to reward political allies rather than strengthen Nigeria’s battered diplomatic front.
ADC
The party expressed particular outrage over the nomination of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying the move reinforces public suspicion that he may not have acted as a neutral arbiter in the 2023 general election that brought President Tinubu to power.
In a statement issued by the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party warned that appointing Prof. Yakubu barely two years after overseeing a fiercely contested and deeply polarising election sends “a dangerous message” at a time INEC is battling a severe credibility crisis.
According to the ADC, the nomination is “brazenly insensitive” and risks further eroding trust in Nigeria’s electoral system. The party urged Prof. Yakubu to reject the offer in order to protect his personal integrity, and called on the Senate to reject the nomination if he fails to do so.
The statement read in part:
“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 designed not to address Nigeria’s urgent international relations crises but to settle political IOUs.
“At a time Nigeria needs a disciplined and credible diplomatic corps capable of rebuilding the nation’s collapsing global standing after two years of damaging absence, the President has surpassed himself by presenting a cast of political jobbers, corruption suspects, and relatives of political associates.”
The party said the most troubling aspect of the list is the nomination of Prof. Yakubu, arguing that it “blurs the line between players and umpires” and risks turning INEC appointments into pathways for political compensation.
“If allowed to stand, this would set a dangerous precedent where future INEC chairmen and commissioners begin to view their positions as stepping stones to rewards from political actors. Once that mindset enters our electoral bloodstream, neutrality becomes impossible, partisanship becomes inevitable, and elections become transactional,” the statement warned.
The ADC noted that most of the nominees fall into three categories—former career diplomats, political loyalists and their relatives, and members of the ruling party—and questioned which of these groups Prof. Yakubu fits into.
While acknowledging that Nigerian law does not require a “cooling-off period” before former electoral officials take political appointments, the party insisted that ethical standards must still guide leadership choices, especially where national democracy is at stake.
The statement concluded:
“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. Failing that, we urge the Senate to reject his nomination in the interest of our democracy.”
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