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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stirred fresh political debates with a new list of 32 ambassadorial nominees, an unexpected blend of former political rivals, ex-ministers, technocrats, and influential
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stirred fresh political debates with a new list of 32 ambassadorial nominees, an unexpected blend of former political rivals, ex-ministers, technocrats, and influential power brokers drawn from across the country.
In a move analysts describe as both strategic and reconciliatory, the President nominated former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, ex-presidential aide Reno Omokri, former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, and former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, among others.
The nominations, submitted in two letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, contain 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career ambassadors. They arrive barely days after Tinubu forwarded the first batch of three names.
Observers say the President’s selections point to a broader political calculation—particularly with the inclusion of loyalists of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, such as former governors Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu, both members of the dissolved G-5 governors.
With figures like Fani-Kayode, a staunch APC voice; Reno Omokri, a known critic of the ruling party; and Mahmood Yakubu, who oversaw the contentious 2023 general elections, the list appears to cut across former adversaries and allies.
The non-career list features high-profile political actors, including:
Reno Omokri (Delta), former presidential aide
Mahmood Yakubu, immediate past INEC chairman
Femi Fani-Kayode (Osun), former aviation minister
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former Enugu governor
Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, former Abia governor
Otunba Femi Pedro, former deputy governor of Lagos
Angela Adebayo, former First Lady of Ekiti
Grace Bent, former Adamawa senator
Florence Ajimobi, former Oyo First Lady
Others include former lawmakers, former commissioners, and veteran diplomats.
The career ambassadors on the list include experienced foreign service officers such as Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador A.M. Monguno (Borno), and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun), among several others.
According to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the nominees will be deployed to key diplomatic missions in countries considered strategic to Nigeria’s national interests—including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and multilateral missions like the UN, UNESCO, and the AU.
Their specific postings will be announced after Senate confirmation.
The President had earlier forwarded three additional nominees—Ambassador Ayodele Oke, Ambassador Amin Dalhatu, and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are—who are being considered for major postings such as the UK, USA, or France.
Tinubu has indicated that more ambassadorial nominees will be announced in the coming weeks, signalling a sweeping reset of Nigeria’s foreign mission leadership.
