Nominating An Ex-INEC Chairman As Ambassador Is Terrible Optics For Tinubu’s Government – Atiku

Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has blasted President Bola Tinubu’s nomination of Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, for an ambassadorial post. He recently revealed that he would never nominate a past INEC chairman as an ambassador if he were president.

In a press statement issued via his X handle on Thursday, Atiku said that he would never consider such a move if he were in Tinubu’s position.

According to him, nominating a former INEC chairman as an ambassador only sends the wrong signals to Nigerians while undermining trust in the electoral system.

He stated that such a nomination can easily be interpreted as a reward for the conduct of one of Nigeria’s most disputed elections.

“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.

It presents terrible optics for an administration already struggling with credibility. It sends the wrong message to the current @inecnigeria 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,” he said.

Atiku concluded by saying that the nomination does nothing to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and restore public trust in key institutions.

Recall that Tinubu submitted Yakubu’s name as part of a list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation on November 29.

The list, which includes 15 career ambassadors and 17 non-career ambassadors, features other prominent figures such as former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode and ex-presidential aide Reno Omokri.