THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s newly released list of ambassadorial nominees, describing it as scandalous, disappointing, and a reflection of the administration’s values.
In a statement on Saturday, November 29, the PDP condemned the list, alleging that several nominees were individuals with “integrity deficits,” tainted public records, and histories of anti-democratic behaviour.
The party said the list confirmed fears that the Tinubu administration was more inclined to reward political loyalists than appoint credible representatives capable of enhancing Nigeria’s global standing.
According to the statement, signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the ambassadorial selections offer a troubling picture of the president’s judgment and priorities. The party said it was no surprise that Nigerians reacted with outrage when the names were made public.
“Specifically, we convey the disappointment of many right-thinking Nigerians on the nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate-past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whose administration of our electoral umpire was characterised by countless double-speaks, flip-flops, and undelivered promises, which ultimately resulted in the birth of this administration, which is struggling in all areas of governance.
“To offer him an ambassadorial appointment at a time like this is an excellent exemplar of a skewed reward system, which we suspect is designed as an incentive to the new INEC Chairman, to also deliver flawed elections in 2027, in expectation of future rewards. This is absolutely scandalous and completely unacceptable,” the party said.
Tinubu on Saturday, November 29, forwarded 15 career and 17 non-career nominees to the Senate, including immediate past INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu; former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode; and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri.
The list also featured former governors, former first ladies, ex-lawmakers, and several political loyalists.
Although the Presidency failed to explain or give reasons for enlisting them, many Nigerians on social media, especially X, said the nominations portrayed a government more concerned with rewarding political allies than rebuilding its diplomatic strength.
‘A country rewarding criminality’ — Inebehe Effiong
Human rights lawyer, Inebehe Effiong, described the nominee list as a ‘travesty’. He said it reinforced the perception that Nigeria habitually rewards misdeeds.
According to him, many of those who “contributed to Nigeria’s destruction” were being being positioned as the country’s voice abroad.
He expressed particular outrage at the nomination of former INEC chairman Yakubu, whom he accused of supervising a “highly disputed and rigged” 2023 election.
“Most of the names on President Tinubu’s list are career politicians who have failed to deliver in their previous roles, sycophants, and morally challenged individuals.
“I find it particularly upsetting, that the same discredited Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, who supervised a highly disputed and rigged election in 2023, has now been rewarded with an ambassadorial position. No country on earth has prospered through a shambolic, corrupt and discredited leadership recruitment process,” he wrote.
Also, another X user, @Arakunrin_MFR, faulted the inclusion of former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, as well as Reno Omokri, describing them as individuals with “nothing to offer in diplomatic relations.”
He argued that their nominations were clearly political compensation rather than merit-based selections.
‘A few outstanding names, many ridiculous ones’ – Ridwan Oke
Reacting to the list, a human rights lawyer, Ridwan Oke, also criticised the list, saying he could barely identify “15 decisive names” capable of strengthening Nigeria’s international relations.
He described the president’s earlier list of three ambassadors as excellent but dismissed the new nominees as a mix of federal character considerations and blatant political rewards.
For writer Kelechi DonPido, the list symbolises a deeper national decay.
He said the nomination was “an indictment etched in ink and patronage,” accusing the administration of turning diplomatic postings into “baubles in a marketplace of shamelessness.”
He added that the appointments reflected a government “so entangled in corruption and callousness” that it could no longer distinguish between competence and favour-trading.
‘Tinubu more focused on 2027 than reform’
Another X user, La Danat, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of reducing Nigeria to a “disgraced country,” arguing that the ambassadorial nominations prioritised political survival over national reform.
He said the president appeared more interested in appeasing politically influential figures ahead of the next election than in appointing individuals with clean records or diplomatic capacity.
The ICIR reports that if confirmed by the Senate, the ambassadors will be deployed to key nations such as China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as multilateral missions like the UN, AU, and UNESCO.
Tinubu recalled all ambassadors appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2023 but did not immediately replace them. This latest list is the most extensive ambassadorial submission since then.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M