The leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the new list of Ambassadors released by President Bola Tinubu as a “mere political settlement”.
In a statement issued on Sunday, November 30, ADC’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi said the appointment, especially that of Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) barely two years after supervising the 2023 presidential election is condemnable.
Abdullahi also said Yalubu’s appointment as an ambassador lends credence to the widespread allegation that the former INEC chair may not have been a neutral umpire in the last poll that saw the emergence of Tinubu as president of the country.
“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,” Abdullahi stated.
Stating that this move also sends a dangerous message to the Nigerian people and the international community at large, Abdullahi urged the past INEC umpire and the Senate to reject the ambassadorial appointment.
The party said the rejection would help to restore the confidence in the nation’s electoral process.
“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,” he added.
