India, Many Other Countries Likely to Reject Tinubu’s Newly Nominated Ambassadors, Reason Emerges
- President Bola Tinubu’s newly nominated ambassadors were facing uncertainty as host countries weighed rejecting them due to the short time left in his administration
- Officials disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was struggling to secure agrément, with some nations insisting on a minimum tenure of one to two years
- Critics warned that Nigeria’s delay in appointing envoys could leave its foreign missions weakened and risk international isolation
Findings have revealed that several host countries might decline to accept President Bola Tinubu's newly-appointed ambassadors due to concerns over the limited time left in the administration’s tenure.
According to PUNCH, officials in the Presidency and the foreign service disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was struggling to secure agrément, the formal consent required from receiving states before ambassadors can be accredited.
Source: Twitter
They explained that many countries typically insisted on a minimum tenure of one to two years, tied to the life of the sending country’s administration.
With Nigeria’s next presidential election scheduled for February 2027 and Tinubu’s first term ending in May that year, officials expressed concern that host nations might hesitate to accept envoys who could serve for less than a year.
Foreign service officials raise concerns
A senior foreign service official, who spoke anonymously, said:
“The problem we have, which we are trying at the moment to see what we can do about, is that most countries, like India, will tell you that if an ambassador has less than one year or two, they may have issues. Usually, one year counts to the end of any current administration.”
The official warned that by the time agrément was secured, some ambassadors might have only a few months left in office. Career foreign service officers usually serve for about three years per posting, but the late nominations could cut this short.
Under Article 4 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, receiving states must grant consent before any ambassador can be accredited. However, they are not obliged to provide reasons for refusal, meaning tenure-related concerns could lead to silent rejections.
Delay in ambassadorial nominations
In September 2023, Tinubu recalled ambassadors from 109 missions worldwide, citing the need for “world-class efficiency and quality” in foreign service delivery. This left missions without substantive heads for over two years.
It was not until November 2025 that Tinubu forwarded names of nominees to the Senate. The first batch of three nominees was submitted on November 26, followed by an additional 32 names on November 29. By January 22, 2026, postings for Ayodele Oke (France), Colonel Lateef Are (United States), and Amin Dalhatu (United Kingdom) were confirmed.
Officials noted that other nominees were expected to be deployed to strategic nations such as China, India, the UAE, Qatar, and South Africa, as well as multilateral institutions including the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.
Bureaucratic delays and background checks
Foreign service insiders explained that the lengthy bureaucratic process could further delay postings. Ambassadors must attend a mandatory retreat, collect personalised post reports, and await agrément. Some officials warned that certain envoys might not commence their tours until August 2026, leaving them with barely nine months before the next election.
One official said:
“Some people may not go before August because some countries will take their time to do background checks. When you send the name, sometimes they will respond, ‘Send someone else.’ Or they may just ignore you for six months.”
Presidency and ministry of foreign affairs respond
A Presidency source confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was handling the process and that announcements would only be made after agrément was secured.
“As far as I know, everything is now with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The President has given them approval to send names to the countries. It is when those countries accept that we will release a statement,” the source said.
Another ministry official added:
“It’s concerning to them (nominees) too. But we are working to see if we can fast-track it.”
Nigeria’s foreign missions have been without ambassadors since September 2023, raising fears of diplomatic isolation. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, previously attributed the delay to funding challenges, currency fluctuations, and Tinubu’s focus on economic reforms.
Former ambassador calls delay a mistake
Former ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, described the situation as pragmatic from the perspective of host countries.
“The underlying word here is pragmatism. Those receiving states are just being pragmatic if they take that view because the next round of general elections is in a year from now,” he said.
He criticised the administration’s delay in nominating ambassadors, calling it a mistake.
“The mistake has been made by the current administration already because they shouldn’t have waited two to three years into their term before nomination, screening, and deployment of heads of missions,” he noted.
Source: Twitter
Tinubu appoints Reno Omokri, Fani-Kayode, 30 others
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sent the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.
This came days after forwarding the first batch of three names. In two letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu requested the expeditious confirmation of 15 career ambassadors and 17 non-career ambassadors.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
