A former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly denounced President Bola Tinubu’s nomination of the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, for an ambassadorial posting.
Atiku, in a statement published Thursday on his X account, framed the nomination as a test of governance ethics rather than a routine diplomatic appointment. He argued that placing a former electoral chief into a political role, especially so soon after leaving office could damage public confidence in Nigeria’s already fragile electoral institutions.
The former vice president, who contested the 2023 presidential election against Tinubu, said he would “under no circumstance” have forwarded such a nomination if he were president, insisting that the gesture risks being widely interpreted as political compensation.
Tinubu had forwarded a list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate on November 29, with Yakubu’s inclusion immediately sparking controversy. His INEC tenure ended only weeks earlier, and he supervised the contentious 2023 general elections, which brought Tinubu to power and are still the subject of political debate and court challenges.
Atiku warned that the move “presents terrible optics” for an administration he says is struggling with legitimacy, arguing that it could send the signal that electoral umpires may be rewarded by the governments their decisions help produce.
He added that the decision “is morally indefensible” given the lingering disputes around the 2023 elections, one of the most heavily contested in Nigeria’s recent history.
Political analysts note that the debate speaks to a long-standing concern: the revolving door between Nigeria’s public institutions and political power. Critics argue that quick transitions from regulatory roles to political appointments weaken institutional independence, while supporters of the nomination claim that experienced administrators can serve effectively in diplomatic positions.
For Atiku, however, the issue touches on the broader struggle to rebuild trust in Nigeria’s democracy. He cautioned that the nomination risks undermining ongoing efforts to strengthen institutions and reassure Nigerians that future elections will be impartial and credible.
