Tinubu’s Ambassadorial List Under Fire as ADC Says Yakubu’s Nomination ‘Rewards Bias’

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a hard swing at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s latest ambassadorial nominations, accusing the administration of turning diplomatic postings into political compensation rather than a genuine attempt to restore Nigeria’s battered global image.

In a sharply worded statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the inclusion of former INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, raises “deep ethical red flags” and threatens the fragile trust Nigerians still have in the electoral system.

According to the party, Yakubu’s nomination “reinforces long-standing perceptions that he may not have acted as a neutral umpire in the 2023 election,” a contest he supervised and which produced President Tinubu amid widespread disputes and credibility concerns.

The ADC described the entire nomination list as a “political patronage parade,” alleging it is packed with “political jobbers, corruption suspects, and relatives of powerful allies”—a lineup the party claims undermines Nigeria’s diplomatic credibility at a time the country desperately needs a competent corps to rebuild its standing abroad.

Calling Yakubu’s inclusion “embarrassingly insensitive,” the party warned that accepting the role would dangerously blur the boundary between electoral arbiters and political beneficiaries.

“If allowed to stand,” the statement noted, “future INEC chairmen and commissioners may begin to view their offices as stepping stones to political rewards, rather than as sacred responsibilities central to our democracy.”

The ADC questioned where Yakubu fits among the president’s nominees, saying a “quick look” at the list reveals three clear categories—career diplomats, political loyalists and their relatives, and partisan allies. “We struggle to see which of these groups Prof. Yakubu belongs to,” the party remarked.

While acknowledging that no law prevents him from taking up the ambassadorial role, the ADC insisted that good governance requires more than legal compliance. “When the law is silent, ethics must speak,” the party said, arguing that the former INEC boss should decline the appointment “to protect INEC’s credibility, safeguard future elections, and preserve his own legacy.”