The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take back the list of ambassadors he gave to the Senate because it is full of people with “integrity deficit.”
Sunday Trust says the party also asked President Tinubu to only choose Nigerians with “stellar democratic credentials and high moral standing” who could earn the respect of the world for their work as ambassadors.
In a statement late yesterday, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, claimed this.
“This list has the names of a lot of people (dishonest propagandists, characterless politicians, and public officials) who are seen negatively by Nigerians and people around the world because they lack integrity and have done things that are clearly against democracy.” This is not just a sad reflection on our country’s history of diplomatic representation; it is also highly wrong and scandalous.
majority Nigerians are really upset by the fact that majority of the nominees were chosen, but they aren’t completely surprised because of the history and attitude of this government.
“Also, it is apparent that a nominee is a clear and direct representation of the principles and opinions of the person who nominated them. The President has showed Nigerians that these persons are the best he has to represent our country in the places where they will be deployed by making these nominations.
“That it took the president almost three years to make this list shows how few good people he has access to.”
The party was shocked that the list included Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who was the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) until recently.
Ememobong said that the appointment could be a way to get the current INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to hold a bad election.
“We are writing to express the disappointment of many right-thinking Nigerians over the nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). His administration of our electoral umpire was marked by countless double-speak, flip-flops, and unfulfilled promises, which led to the birth of this administration, which is struggling in all areas of governance.”
“Giving him an ambassadorial position at this time is a great example of a skewed compensation system. We think it is meant to encourage the incoming INEC Chairman to hold faulty elections in 2027, with the hope of getting rewards in the future. This is totally wrong and completely unacceptable.
“Please remember that the respect a country gets from other countries is closely linked to the integrity and public image of both the President and the Ambassadors. So, sending ambassadors with bad political records is not only bad for Nigeria, but it also sets the stage for a diplomatic disaster.
“We demand that President Bola Tinubu take back the list and only nominate people with strong democratic credentials and high moral standards who can earn respect around the world for the ambassadorial positions.”
“This list has the names of many people (dishonest propagandists, characterless politicians, and public officials) who are seen negatively by Nigerians and the rest of the world because they lack integrity and have done a lot of things that go against democracy.”
PDP called the list “very reprehensible and scandalous” and said it was a sad reflection of the country’s history of diplomatic representation.
The opposition party noted that most Nigerians are “seriously appalled” by the inclusion of most of the nominees, but they aren’t completely shocked because of the history and attitude of this administration.
“Also, it is a clear and direct reflection of the values and estimation of the nominator that a nominee is a nominee.” The President has showed Nigerians that these are the greatest persons to represent our country in the countries where they will be deployed by nominating them.
PDP also noted that it took the president about three years to make this list, which shows that he doesn’t have many good people to choose from.
“We want to express the disappointment of many right-thinking Nigerians over the nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate-past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). His administration of our electoral umpire was marked by countless double-speak, flip-flops, and broken promises, which led to the birth of this administration, which is struggling in all areas of governance.
“Giving him an ambassadorial position at this time is a great example of a skewed compensation system. We think it’s meant to encourage the next INEC Chairman to hold defective elections in 2027 in the hopes of getting more benefits in the future. This is totally unacceptable and outrageous.
“Please let the president and all Nigerians know that the respect a country obtains from other countries is directly related to the integrity and public image of both the President and the Ambassadors. So, sending ambassadors with bad political backgrounds is not only bad for Nigeria, but it also sets up for the worst time in diplomacy ever.
PDP is asking President Bola Tinubu to “withdraw the list and only nominate people with outstanding democratic credentials and high moral standing who can command global respect for the ambassadorial assignments.”
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