Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Tinubu’s nomination of Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for an ambassadorial position.
In a statement on his X handle on Thursday, Atiku said that if he were President, he would never consider appointing a past INEC chairman to a diplomatic post.
He stressed that such a move would send the wrong signal to the public and undermine trust in Nigeria’s electoral system.
“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,” Atiku wrote.
Yakubu’s nomination was submitted to the Senate on November 29 as part of a list of 32 ambassadorial nominees. The list includes 15 career ambassadors and 17 non-career ambassadors, featuring other prominent figures such as former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode and ex-presidential aide Reno Omokri.
Atiku noted that the appointment of Yakubu, who presided over the 2023 elections that brought Tinubu to power, raises “serious concerns” and could be interpreted as a reward for controversial electoral conduct. He added that the move undermines efforts to strengthen democracy and restore public trust in institutions.
“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,” Atiku said.
