Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s list of 65 ambassadorial nominees, alleging that it violates the federal character principle and should be withdrawn before the Senate begins screening next week.
The former Senate Leader and Chief Whip said the distribution of the nominees across states and geopolitical zones fails to meet the constitutional requirement for equitable representation in federal appointments.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Ndume warned that approving the list in its current form could heighten ethnic tensions at a time when the government should be strengthening national unity.
He pointed to significant disparities in the allocation of nominees stating that some states have three or four while others received none. Ndume also questioned the inclusion of Senator Adamu Garba Talba from Yobe, who reportedly died in July.
According to him, the North-East has seven nominees, the South-West 15, the North-West 13, the South-East 9, the North-Central 10, and the South-South 12.
He cautioned that such imbalance contradicts Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical stage of his administration, he must avoid actions that undermine national unity or fuel ethnic distrust,” Ndume said.
“I know him as a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with all regions of the country. He should present a new list that aligns with the spirit of the federal character principle.”
The Senate is set to begin screening the 65 nominees next week, following Tinubu’s submission last Thursday. The list comprises 34 career ambassadors or high commissioners and 31 non-career nominees.
This submission came less than a day after senators began screening an earlier batch of three nominees sent by the Presidency.
Prominent career diplomats on the list include Sulu-Gambari Olatunji Ahmed (Kwara), Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), and Maimuna Ibrahim (Adamawa).
The non-career category features several well-known political figures, including former Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), former presidential aide Ita Enang, and ex-Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.).
Other notable nominees include Reno Omokri, former INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, former Lagos deputy governor Otunba Femi Pedro, ex-Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, former Enugu State governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.
Senate insiders indicated that the screening “will not be business as usual,” with the opposition promising a more thorough interrogation of several candidates.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has referred the list to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, which is expected to report back within a week.
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