By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is sharply criticizing Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his newly released ambassadorial nominations, accusing the administration of turning foreign postings into political compensation rather than strengthening Nigeria’s battered diplomatic front.

The party’s strongest objection centers on the nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Yakubu, who oversaw Nigeria’s contentious 2023 presidential election that produced Tinubu as winner, was included in the list just weeks after leaving office — a move the ADC says fuels suspicions about his neutrality during the vote.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said Nigeria’s foremost electoral institution remains deeply mired in a credibility crisis following the disputed 2023 polls. Against that backdrop, the party argued, elevating the former election umpire to a prestigious diplomatic role “sends a dangerous message” and risks further eroding public trust in INEC.

The party urged Yakubu to reject what it called a “brazenly insensitive” appointment, insisting that doing so is necessary to safeguard both his legacy and the integrity of future elections. It also called on the Senate to block the nomination if he declines to withdraw.

According to the ADC, the long-delayed ambassadorial list — released after more than two years with Nigeria’s global standing weakened — is “outrageously underwhelming” and appears crafted to service political debts rather than advance national interests. The statement blasted the selections as a “comic cast” of political allies, corruption-tainted figures and relatives of senior politicians.

But it is Yakubu’s inclusion that the party described as most alarming.

Calling the nomination “embarrassingly insensitive,” the ADC said it dangerously blurs the line between electoral referees and political actors. Allowing such an appointment to stand, the party warned, risks creating a future where INEC chairs see their positions as pathways to political reward. “Once that mindset enters the bloodstream of our electoral system,” the statement read, “neutrality becomes impossible, partisanship becomes inevitable, and elections become transactional.”

The ADC said a closer look at the nominees reveals that nearly all fall into three categories: former career diplomats, political loyalists and their families, or ruling party members. It questioned where Yakubu fits on that spectrum, arguing that the implications are “deeply unsettling.”

While acknowledging that Nigerian law does not mandate a “cooling-off period” for former electoral officials, the ADC insisted that ethical considerations must guide national decision-making — especially when democracy is at stake.

The party concluded by calling on Yakubu to decline the nomination “for the sake of INEC’s institutional credibility,” adding that the Senate must reject it if he does not. “The integrity of future elections,” the ADC said, “and the preservation of our democratic foundation demand nothing less.”