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*Ex-INEC chair, Yakubu; ex-govs Ugwuanyi, Ikpeazu; Femi Pedro, Jimoh Ibrahim, Ajimobi’s wife, Fani-Kayode, Omokri make list
*PDP faults list, demands withdrawal
Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent names of 32 additional ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, days after submitting the first batch of three.
Immediate-past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; ex-governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Femi Pedro; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim; and the wife of the late governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, Florence, are some of the prominent names on the list of the 32 ambassadorial nominees.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the withdrawal of the list of the nominees, describing the selections as “reprehensible and scandalous.”
In two separate letters to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu asked the Senate to consider and confirm 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors expeditiously.
There are four women on the career ambassadors’ list and six women on the non-career ambassadors’ list.
According to a statement issued yesterday by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the non-career ambassador designates include the former chairman of the INEC, Yakubu; former Ekiti State first lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; former Enugu State Governor, Ugwuanyi; Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, and a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta).
Others are the former Speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly, Tasiu Musa Maigari; a former Commissioner in Plateau State and former deputy executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Yakubu N. Gambo.
A former senator from Plateau State, Professor Nora Ladi Daduut; a former deputy governor of Lagos State, Otunba Pedro; a former aviation minister from Osun State, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; and Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State are on the nomination list.
Also on the list are former First Lady of Oyo State, Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa State Senator, Grace Bent; former Governor of Abia State, Ikpeazu; businessman, lawyer and Senator from Ondo State, Senator Ibrahim, and the former ambassador of Nigeria to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue State.
Among the nominees for career ambassador and high commissioner-designates are: Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi), and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).
The other nominees are Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara), and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).
The statement noted that the new nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains excellent and strategic bilateral relations, such as China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.
The statement added that all the nominees will know their diplomatic assignments after their confirmation by the Senate.
President Tinubu had sent three ambassadorial nominees for screening and confirmation last week.
The nominees were Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun). All three will be posted to the UK, USA, or France after their confirmation.
The president had said more nominees for ambassadorial positions would be announced soon.
PDP Faults List, Demands Withdrawal
Meanwhile, the PDP has condemned the list of ambassadorial nominees, describing the selections as “reprehensible and scandalous.”
In a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP said the list includes individuals perceived negatively by Nigerians and the international community due to “integrity deficits and notable anti-democratic activities.”
“While most Nigerians are seriously appalled by the inclusion of most of the nominees, they are not totally surprised, given the history and disposition of this administration.
“Furthermore, it is an incontestable fact that a nominee is a clear and direct reflection of the values and estimation of the nominator.
“By making these nominations, the President has shown Nigerians that these are the best people he has to represent our country in the countries where they will be posted.”
The PDP specifically criticised the nomination of the immediate past INEC Chairman, Yakubu.
“To offer him an ambassadorial appointment at a time like this is an excellent example 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,” PDP added.
The party demanded that Tinubu withdraw the current list and renominate individuals with “stellar democratic credentials and high moral standing, capable of commanding global respect” for their ambassadorial assignments.
“Appointing and sending ambassadors with tainted political profiles is not only a great disservice to Nigeria but a setup for a diplomatic all-time low,” the PDP said, stressing that the respect a country commands internationally is tied to the integrity of its ambassadors and leadership.
