Having picked more nominees, President Bola Tinubu on Thursday transmitted a list of 65 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate, seeking their confirmation in line with Section 171 (1), (2) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The latest submission marked the president’s extensive diplomatic nominations since assuming office, featuring a mix of seasoned envoys, former service chiefs, ex-governors, and notable political figures.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has therefore asked the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, to screen President Bola Tinubu’s 65 new ambassadorial picks, comprising 34 career diplomats and 31 non-career nominees drawn from across the federation.
Among the prominent career diplomats on the list were Ambassador Sulu-Gambari Olatunji Ahmed (Kwara), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), and Ambassador Maimuna Ibrahim (Adamawa).
Some of the non-career nominees were well-known names such as former presidential aide and senator, Solomon Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom); former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.) of Cross River; and former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd.) from Kano.
See below the list of career and the non-career nominees sent to the Senate for confirmation:
FULL LIST OF CAREER NOMINEES:
Abia: Ambassador Ezenwa Chukwuemeka
Adamawa: Maimuna Ibrahim
Anambra: Monica Ogochukwu
Bauchi: Ambassador Mohammed Mahmoud Lele
Bayelsa: Endoni Sindo
Borno: Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno
Cross River: Jane Adams Okon Michael
Delta: Clark Omeruo Alexandra
Ebonyi: Chimma Geofrey Davies
Edo: Oduma Yvonne Ehinose, Wasa Segun Ige
Ekiti: Adeyemi Adebayo Emmanuel
Enugu: Onaga Ogechukwu Kingsley
Jigawa: Magaji Umar
Kaduna: Mohammed Saidu Dahiru
Kano: AbdulSalam Abus Zayat
Katsina: Shehu Barde, Aminu Nasiu
Kebbi: Abubakar Musa Musa, Mohammed Idris
Kogi: Bako Adamu Umar
Kwara: Sulu-Gambari Olatunji Ahmed
Lagos: Ramata Mohammed
Nasarawa: Shaga John Shama
Niger: Salau Hamza Mohammed, Ibrahim Danlami
Ogun: Adeola Ibrahim Mopelola
Ondo: Ruben Abimbola Samuel
Osun: Akande Wahab Adekola
Oyo: Adedokun Esther
Plateau: Gedagi Joseph John
Rivers: Luther Obomode Ayokalata
Taraba: Danladi Yakubu Yaku
Zamfara: Bello Dogondaji
FULL LIST OF NON-CAREER NOMINEES
Adamawa: Grace Bent
Akwa Ibom: Solomon Ita Enang
Anambra: Nkechi Linda Okocha
Bauchi: Mahmud Yakubu
Bayelsa: Philip K. Ikurusi
Benue: Paul Oga Adikwu
Cross River: Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.)
Edo: Hon. Abasi Braimah
Ekiti: Erelu Angela Adebayo; Barr.
Olumilua Oluwayimika
Enugu: Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
Imo: Barr. Chioma Ohakim
Kano: Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd.)
Katsina: Hon. Tasiu Musa Maigari
Kogi: Alhaji Abubakar Sanusi Aliyu
Lagos: Olufemi Pedro
Nasarawa: Barr. Mohammed Ubandoma Aliyu
Ondo: Senator Jimoh Ibrahim;
Ondo: Ambassador Joseph Sola Iji
Osun: Fani-Kayode; Professor O. Adewole
Oyo: Florence Ajimobi; Lola Akande
Plateau: Professor Nora Ladi Daduut;
Plateau: Yakubu N. Gambo
Rivers: Chukwujinka Okocha
Sokoto: Haruna Abubakar
Taraba: Rt. Hon. Jerry Samuel Manwe
Yobe: Adamu Garba Talba Nangree
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubukar, has condemned the nomination of a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as an ambassador.
Atiku, who took to his C space on Thursday said,
‘’Let me state without ambiguity: under no circumstance would I, as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nominate the immediate past INEC Chairman for an ambassadorial position.
‘’Such a nomination raises serious concerns. It risks appearing as a quid pro quo rather than a recognition of merit. It presents terrible optics for an administration already struggling with credibility.
“It sends the wrong message to the current INEC leadership; that partisan, compromised, or poorly executed elections may ultimately be rewarded. And most importantly, it is morally indefensible for an umpire at the centre of one of the most disputed elections in our history to become a beneficiary of its outcome.
‘’This is not the path to strengthening our democracy or restoring public trust in our institutions,’’ he said.