ADC accuses Tinubu of diplomatic blunder over ambassador postings, questions gaps in Nigeria’s global representation

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has sharply criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over its handling of ambassadorial postings, accusing the government of breaching established diplomatic protocol and leaving nearly half of Nigeria’s foreign missions without envoys.

The ADC described Friday’s ambassadorial announcement as a diplomatic blunder that exposes the country to embarrassment and reflects the government’s incompetence in handling international relations. In a statement released on Friday, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said that announcing ambassadorial postings publicly before obtaining the required agrément from host countries, as mandated by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, risks causing diplomatic embarrassment for Nigeria.

President Tinubu on Friday approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate comprising 31 career diplomats and 34 non-career ambassadors to Nigerian foreign missions across the world and the United Nations. Their nominations had been confirmed by the Nigerian Senate in December 2025.

According to a statement by Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already received agrément from the United Kingdom for High Commissioner-designate Ambassador Aminu Dalhatu, and from France for Ambassador Ayo Oke. The ministry said it had also conveyed the nominations of the remaining 62 designated envoys to all the countries concerned, including requests for their agrément in line with standard diplomatic practice.

Among the prominent non-career postings, former presidential spokesman Reno Omokri was posted to Mexico City, while former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode was assigned to Germany. Former Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau will serve as ambassador to China, and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim has been appointed as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

The ADC’s criticism extended beyond procedural concerns to what it described as a worrying gap in Nigeria’s diplomatic coverage. The party noted that Nigeria maintains approximately 109 diplomatic missions worldwide, yet only 65 ambassadors had been announced, and questioned what would happen to the remaining 44 missions. It warned that leaving many missions without ambassadors could weaken Nigeria’s diplomatic presence at a time of growing global challenges.

The ADC also questioned why the government had remained silent on the United States mission, and asked why it took more than three months after the Senate confirmed the ambassadorial nominees before the administration began requesting consent from host countries.

The ADC drew attention to what it characterised as a pattern of diplomatic mishandling under the Tinubu administration. The party recalled what it described as a similar mistake last year when ambassadorial postings to countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and France were announced, and also referenced the sending of an unscreened ambassador to Turkey, saying the government should have learned from those earlier errors.

In particularly pointed language, the ADC warned that “the Tinubu government has 449 days left,” adding that it could become the first administration in Nigeria so incompetent that it could not even appoint ambassadors at a time when Nigeria needs to sit at the table at the highest levels of global governance.

The Tinubu administration has not formally responded to the ADC’s statement. The presidency directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately commence the induction programme for all ambassadors-designate and high commissioners ahead of their formal deployment to their respective missions.