By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s latest ambassadorial appointments, describing the list as a settlement list of political IOUs.
The party took particular exception to the nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying that his appointment, coming only two years after supervising the election that brought President Tinubu into office, would lend credence to the widespread allegation that the former INEC chief may not have been a neutral umpire in the 2023 election and could further undermine the credibility of INEC.
The party, in a statement signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, said that at a time when INEC, Nigeria’s foremost democratic institution, is still mired in a major credibility crisis following the highly disputed and controversial 2023 general election, Prof. Yakubu’s nomination for an ambassadorial position sends a dangerous message.
The ADC argued that it is in Professor Yakubu’s best interest to reject what it described as a “brazenly insensitive” nomination and urged the Senate to reject it as a measure of restoring confidence in the nation’s electoral process.
The statement reads, “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 that appears designed to settle his political IOUs rather than fix Nigeria’s urgent international relations crises.
“At a time that Nigeria needs a disciplined and credible diplomatic corps, capable of rebuilding the nation’s collapsing credibility on the continent and the rest of the world after two years of thoroughly damaging absence, President Tinubu has surpassed himself by presenting a comic cast of political jobbers, corruption suspects, and patronage of wives, children, and relatives of political associates.
“However, at the heart of this troubling list lies the nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who conducted the election that brought Tinubu in as President of Nigeria.
“The ADC views the appointment of Prof. Yakubu as embarrassingly insensitive, especially coming barely two years after supervising a highly controversial election that ushered in President Tinubu as President and only a few weeks after leaving office as INEC Chairman.
“This particular appointment of Prof. Yakubu blurs what should be a distinct line between players and umpires. If allowed to stand, it would set a dangerous precedent where future INEC chairmen and commissioners may begin to see their positions as stepping stones to future political rewards.
“Once that mindset enters the bloodstream of our electoral system, neutrality becomes impossible, partisanship becomes inevitable, and elections become transactional.
“A cursory review of the list would show that almost all the nominees fall into three categories: former career diplomats or ambassadors, political supporters or their relatives, and members of the president’s political party.
“We wonder in which of these three categories Prof. Yakubu belongs. The implication of this is deeply unsettling indeed.We are aware that there is no stipulated “cooling off” period under our laws, but even when the law is silent, ethical standards must be upheld, especially when the situation attacks the very foundation of our democracy.
“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 to do so, we call on the Senate to reject his nomination in the interest of our democracy.”
Ends
