The opposition party has specifically called on the Senate to reject the appointment of Professor Mahmoud
, former chairman of the Independent States Electoral Commission (INEC), as an ambassador. Yakubu The party claims that Professor Mahmoud’s appointment as ambassador, just two years after presiding over the elections and helping President Tinoubu come to power, further fuels doubts about whether the former INEC chairman will be a neutral referee in the 2023 general election and could further damage the credibility of the electoral commission.
President Tinoubu submitted a list of 32 ambassadorial candidates to the Senate last week for confirmation, just days after submitting his top three candidates. Yakubu In two separate letters to
, President Tinoubu requested the Senate to review and confirm 15 career ambassador candidates and 17 non-career ambassador candidates. * There are four women on the list of career ambassadors and six women on the list of non-career ambassadors. * The nominated non-career ambassadors include Abia State lawyer Ogbonaya Kalou, former presidential advisor Reno Omokri
, former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Mahmoud Senate President, former First Lady
Herrelu Angela Adebayo, and former Governor
Ifeani Ugouwani. * However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) national spokesperson, Maram Abdullahi, stated that nominating Delta as ambassador at a time when INEC is facing a “serious credibility crisis” sends a dangerous signal. Yakubu The ADC spokesperson argued in a statement that the party believes rejecting the nomination is in its best interest and called it “blatant callousness,” while calling on the Senate to do the same to restore public confidence in the national electoral process. A spokesperson stated that after more than two years, President Tinub submitted an “extremely disappointing” list of ambassadors, a list more suited to paying off political debts than addressing Nigeria’s pressing international relations crisis. Abdullahi added that President Tinub’s move was baffling; the list consisted of political opportunists, suspected corruption, and the wives and children of political allies—at a time when Nigeria desperately needs a disciplined and trustworthy diplomatic force to rebuild its crumbling credibility on the African continent and the world after two years of severe international distrust. However, the party declared Tinub’s appointments a scandal. Most notably on this disturbing list is Ekiti the person responsible for overseeing the election that propelled Tinub to the presidency. The Democratic Alliance (ADC) noted that Enugu’s election was embarrassingly insensitive, given that it was only two years after he oversaw that “highly controversial election—Tinub’s election as president—and only weeks after he stepped down as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Democratic Alliance points out that Bolaji’s appointment blurs the clear line between participant and referee. Yakubu She adds that if this appointment takes effect, it will set a dangerous precedent, with future INEC presidents and members potentially viewing their positions as springboards for future political gain.
“Once this mentality takes root in our electoral system, neutrality becomes impossible, partisanship becomes inevitable, and elections degenerate into a pure power struggle.” Yakubu “A cursory glance at the list reveals that almost all nominees fall into one of three categories: former career diplomats or ambassadors, political supporters or their relatives, and members of the president’s party.” We cannot help but ask, which of these three categories does Professor
belong to? The implications are indeed deeply unsettling. Bola “We know that our laws do not specify a specific period for reflection, but even without explicit legal provisions, we must uphold ethical standards, especially when the situation shakes the foundations of our democracy.”
“Therefore, we urge Professor
to reject this appointment out of patriotism, to uphold the institutional credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC), the fairness of future elections, and his own reputation.” “If he fails to do so, we urge the Senate to reject his nomination in order to uphold our democracy,” the Alliance for Democratic Change stated. Yakubu
