ADC asks ex-INEC chair to Reject Ambassadorial appointment

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the nomination of former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, as “embarrassingly insensitive”, cautioning that the development could set a dangerous precedent that would undermine the neutrality of the country’s electoral system.

Daily Trust had reported how Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, disclosed in a statement on Saturday that President Tinubu had forwarded the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

The list, which has, among others, the names of Mahmood Yakubu, Femi Fani-Kayode and Reno Omokri, was submitted days after the President transmitted an earlier batch of three nominations.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC said the list was laced with corruption suspects, political jobbers and relatives of the President’s associates.

“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.

“The ADC views the appointment of Prof. Yakubu as embarrassingly insensitive, especially coming barely two years after supervising a highly controversial election that ushered in President Tinubu as President and only a few weeks after leaving office as INEC Chairman.

“This particular appointment of Prof. Yakubu blurs what should be a distinct line between players and umpires. If allowed to stand, it would set a dangerous precedent where future INEC chairmen and commissioners may begin to see their positions as stepping stones to future political rewards. Once that mindset enters the bloodstream of our electoral system, neutrality becomes impossible, partisanship becomes inevitable, and elections become transactional.

“A cursory review of the list would show that almost all the nominees fall into three categories: former career diplomats or ambassadors, political supporters or their relatives, and members of the president’s political party. We wonder in which of these three categories Prof. Yakubu belongs. The implication of this is deeply unsettling indeed.

“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.”

The opposition coalition urged the former INEC Boss to reject his nomination as ambassador in the best interest of the commission’s institutional credibility.

“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.”

ADC criticised Tinubu over what it described as outrageously underwhelming ambassadorial list, raising concerns about the nominees’ competence to address Nigeria’s diplomatic challenges.

“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 a patronage of wives, children, and relatives of his of political associates.”

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