PDP Slams Tinubu Over Nomination of Ex-INEC Chair, Others as Ambassadors

James Adamu

The Taminu Turaki led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vehemently condemned President Bola Tinubu’s latest list of ambassadorial nominees, describing the inclusion of the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, as “absolutely scandalous” and a potential “setup for a diplomatic all time low.”

The opposition party’s outrage follows the official release from the State House on Saturday, wherein President Tinubu submitted the names of 32 additional ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.

This second batch, comprising 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees, includes a mix of former governors, senators, and other political stalwarts.

However, it is the nomination of Prof. Yakubu that has ignited the most fierce condemnatiom from the opposition party.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP framed Yakubu’s nomination as a “skewed reward” for his role in overseeing the 2023 general elections, which the party and many observers claim were deeply flawed.

“The nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is an excellent exemplar of a skewed reward system, which we suspect is designed as an incentive to the new INEC Chairman, to also deliver flawed elections in 2027, in expectation of future rewards. This is absolutely scandalous and completely unacceptable,” the statement asserted.

The PDP’s statement, titled “AMBASSADORIAL LIST: SCANDALOUS AND REFLECTIVE OF PRESIDENTIAL VALUES,” goes beyond Yakubu, painting the entire list as being populated by “disgraced propagandists, characterless politicians, and public officials who are widely perceived negatively by Nigerians.”

The party argued that the list is a direct reflection of President Tinubu’s own values and a testament to a “paucity of excellent people within his reach.”

“This development is not just a sad commentary on our country’s history of diplomatic representation; it is very reprehensible and scandalous. By making these nominations, the President has shown Nigerians that these are the best people he has to represent our country,” the PDP declared.

This condemnation stands in stark contrast to the tone of the State House press release, which simply listed the nominees and outlined the process ahead.

According to the presidency, the new nominees are slated for postings in countries with which Nigeria maintains “excellent and strategic bilateral relations,” including China, India, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, and to international bodies like the United Nations and the African Union.

The list itself is a who’s who of political figures from across the nation. Alongside Prof. Yakubu, notable non-career nominees include former Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former Lagos Deputy Governor Otunba Femi Pedro, former Aviation Minister Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, and former First Ladies Erelu Angela Adebayo (Ekiti) and Fatima Florence Ajimobi (Oyo). Also included are former Senator Jimoh Ibrahim and former presidential aide Reno Omokri.

The PDP, however, insists that the political profiles of many nominees are “tainted” and will hinder Nigeria’s diplomatic standing.

“May we remind the President and all Nigerians that the respect a country gets from other countries cannot be separated from the integrity profile and public perception of both the President and the Ambassadors,” the party warned.

The opposition also seized on the timeline of the nominations, suggesting that the fact “it took the President almost three years to produce this list speaks to the paucity of excellent people within his reach.”

Last week, the President submitted an initial batch of three names—Ambassador Ayodele Oke, Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu, and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are—who are being considered for postings to the UK, USA, and France.

The Senate, led by Godswill Akpabio, is now tasked with the confirmation of these nominees. The PDP has explicitly demanded that President Tinubu “withdraw the said list and renominate only those with stellar democratic credentials and high moral standing, capable of commanding global respect for the ambassadorial assignments.”