Ndume Urges President Tinubu to Withdraw Ambassadorial Nominee List

President Bola Tinubu has been urged by former Senate Leader Ali Ndume to remove the list of ambassadorial nominations that was just submitted to the Senate for review and approval.

Ndume reportedly filed the appeal on Thursday in Abuja, expressing worries that the list goes against Nigeria’s Constitution’s Federal Character principle.

Ndume, speaking on behalf of Borno South, contended that the diversity mandated by Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution—which states that the makeup of governmental bodies must reflect the nation’s federal character—is not reflected in the current nominations for ambassador.

Ndume claims that the list demonstrates an uneven allocation of nominees, with certain states having more than one representation while others are excluded.

He noted that Gombe State had no representation at all, the Northeast, where Ndume is from, had only seven nominees, and states like the Southwest had fifteen.

Ndume also emphasized the passing of Yobe State’s lone nominee, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, who died in July. He claimed that this made the list even more unfair and prevented the state from being represented in the nominations.

Ndume emphasized that the ambassadorial list issue might weaken national cohesion and exacerbate ethnic tensions, making it more than just a matter of appearances. In the sake of justice and diversity, he pleaded with President Tinubu to reevaluate the nominees.

“The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies,” he stated.

“I humbly request that President Tinubu remove this list. He should refrain from making mistakes that could jeopardize national unity and foster ethnic mistrust at this crucial juncture in his leadership.

“I am aware that he is a multicultural leader who gets along with all of the nation’s stakeholders.

“He should remove that list and put forward a new list of candidates who will adhere to the Federal Character Principle of the Constitution, which states that the government’s operations and structure must reflect Nigeria’s diverse states and peoples.”