The opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s naming the last Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, as one of 32 Nigerians nominated as ambassadors.
“We call on the Senate to reject his nomination in the interest of our democracy,” the statement added.
According to a statement of Sunday, ADC spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, rubbished the appointment, saying it came less than two years after Yakubu oversaw a “highly controversial election” that brought Tinubu to power.
The party dismissed the entire list as “a comic cast of political jobbers, corruption suspects and patronage of wives, children, and relatives of political associates,” who it said should not be on the list.
Appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on October 21, 2015, Yakubu served as INEC Chairman from November 9, 2015 to October 7, 2025, and was nominated on Saturday by President Tinubu for an ambassadorial role, a move that has drawn public criticism.
ADC argued that such a decision could further weaken public confidence in the independence of Nigeria’s electoral system.
The statement said, “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.”
