Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has reiterated his concerns over what he described as an imbalanced ambassadorial nominee list submitted by President Bola Tinubu, maintaining that the nominations do not adequately reflect Nigeria’s federal character, even though he took part in the screening exercise conducted by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Ndume had earlier raised objections to the composition of the list before the screening began, arguing that it fell short of the requirements of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution. The constitutional provision mandates that appointments into federal offices must reflect Nigeria’s diversity in order to foster national unity and prevent the dominance of any particular section of the country.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the Borno South senator explained that he initially considered staying away from the screening process as a form of protest. However, he said his colleagues on the committee prevailed on him to participate, assuring him that his concerns would not be ignored.
According to Ndume, the committee’s leadership gave firm assurances that the issue of imbalance in the nominations would be officially communicated to President Tinubu. He stressed that his participation in the exercise should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the list in its current form.
The lawmaker further noted that several states were completely left out of the nominations, citing Gombe and Yobe as examples. In addition, he pointed out that some states were represented only by career ambassadors, whom he described as professional diplomats rather than political appointees, a distinction he believes further weakens the principle of equitable representation.
Ndume insisted that for the ambassadorial appointments to meet constitutional standards, states that were excluded must be accommodated in the final list to be forwarded to the Senate for confirmation. He emphasized that adherence to the federal character principle is not optional but a constitutional obligation that must guide all federal appointments.
He concluded by urging the executive to address the identified gaps promptly, warning that failure to do so could undermine public confidence in the administration’s commitment to fairness, inclusiveness, and national cohesion.
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