Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has clarified why he took part in the Senate’s screening of ambassadorial nominees despite his earlier objections to the list submitted by President Bola Tinubu.
Ndume, who represents Borno South, had initially urged the President to withdraw the nominees’ list, citing what he described as a violation of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which emphasises the principle of federal character.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, the lawmaker said his concerns were based on the constitutional requirement that appointments must reflect Nigeria’s diversity to promote unity and national inclusion.
He explained, however, that members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs prevailed on him to participate in the exercise, assuring him that his reservations would be formally conveyed to the President through the committee’s report.
Ndume maintained that the list remains imbalanced, stressing that the issue was raised during committee deliberations.
“I still stand by my position that the list is lopsided,” he said. “At the committee level, I raised a constitutional issue, and we agreed to proceed with the screening while clearly stating in our report that the remaining nominations should be adjusted to reflect federal character.”
He argued that with Nigeria having 109 foreign missions, each state should be fairly represented through both career and non-career ambassadorial appointments.
According to him, some states, such as Gombe and Yob,e were excluded entirely, while others were represented only by career ambassadors, whom he described as largely non-political appointments.
Ndume suggested that allocating two or three ambassadors per state, including at least one career ambassador, would address the imbalance and ensure compliance with constitutional provisions.
He added that Nigeria’s 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates provide sufficient space to accommodate fair representation across all states.
The senator also reminded that Nigeria maintains diplomatic relations with 194 countries worldwide, making equitable distribution both possible and necessary.
It will be recalled that the Senate last week screened and confirmed 68 ambassadorial nominees.
Among those confirmed were a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu; former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri; and former Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau.
