ADC Faults Tinubu Government Over Breach In Ambassadorial Appointments

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing it of violating diplomatic protocol in the announcement of newly assigned ambassadors.

The opposition party described the development as a diplomatic misstep and cited it as further evidence of what it characterised as poor governance by the current administration.

In a statement released on Friday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, argued that publicly announcing ambassadorial postings before securing the required consent—known as agrément—from host nations contradicts established diplomatic practice.

According to the ADC, global diplomatic norms under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, especially Article 4, require that a receiving country first approve a nominee before the sending country formally announces the appointment.

“Nearly three years into this administration, and even three months after the Senate confirmed the nominees, the latest announcement from the Presidency appears to have reversed the proper diplomatic order. It reflects a lack of understanding of the basic principles governing diplomatic relations,” Abdullahi said.

He explained that under standard diplomatic procedures, a country must quietly request agrément from the host nation before formally naming a head of mission.

“The request for agrément is usually handled discreetly through diplomatic channels to prevent embarrassment in case the receiving state declines the nominee,” he added.

Abdullahi further argued that announcing the appointments before obtaining consent suggests confusion within the government.

“You cannot declare ambassadorial postings and in the same breath say you are still seeking approval. That approach suggests the government does not understand how the process works,” he stated.

The ADC warned that such actions could expose Nigeria to potential diplomatic embarrassment, as host countries retain the right to accept or reject nominees after conducting background checks.

“It is precisely to avoid such embarrassment that the process is traditionally conducted behind closed doors. Unfortunately, this administration appears not to grasp that,” the statement noted.

The party also recalled what it described as a similar error last year when ambassadorial postings to countries including the United Kingdom, the United States and France were announced prematurely.

It also referenced the appointment of an ambassador to Turkey who had not yet been screened, arguing that the government should have learned from those earlier mistakes.

“After the earlier blunder involving announcements of postings to the UK, the United States and France, as well as sending an unscreened ambassador to Turkey, one would have expected the government to correct its approach,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC additionally questioned the delay in seeking approval from host countries, noting that more than three months had passed since the Senate confirmed the nominees.

“The question remains: why did the government wait over three months after confirmation before requesting consent from the host nations?” he asked.

The party also raised concerns about what it described as an incomplete ambassadorial list. It pointed out that Nigeria operates about 109 diplomatic missions worldwide, yet only 65 ambassadors were recently announced.

“Nigeria has 109 missions globally, but the government has named only 65 ambassadors. What happens to the remaining 44 positions? Are they expected to remain vacant indefinitely?” the party queried.

According to the ADC, leaving numerous diplomatic missions without ambassadors could weaken Nigeria’s international representation at a time when global engagement is increasingly critical.

Abdullahi also noted that the Tinubu administration has about 449 days remaining in office and warned that failure to address the issue could leave Nigeria underrepresented on the global stage.

“This could become the first administration in Nigeria’s history unable to appoint ambassadors when the country needs strong representation in global decision-making forums. The consequences of such a lapse could be difficult to imagine,” he said.

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