The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's decision to nominate former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as an ambassador, describing the move as politically motivated and damaging to Nigeria's electoral integrity.
ADC Calls Nomination 'Embarrassingly Insensitive'
In a statement released on Saturday, November 29, 2025, ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi expressed deep concern over the inclusion of Prof. Yakubu among the 32 ambassadorial nominees sent to the Senate for confirmation. The party characterized the nomination as "embarrassingly insensitive" given Yakubu's recent role in supervising the controversial 2023 general elections that brought President Tinubu to power.
Abdullahi, communicating through his official X handle @BolajiADC, emphasized the timing of the appointment, noting it comes "barely two years after supervising a highly controversial election that ushered in President Tinubu as President and only a few weeks after leaving office as INEC Chairman."
Urgent Call for Rejection
The opposition party has issued a dual appeal regarding the controversial nomination. First, they have directly called upon Prof. Yakubu to "do the patriotic thing and reject this appointment for the sake of INEC's institutional credibility, the integrity of future elections, and the preservation of his own legacy."
Should the former INEC chairman decline to voluntarily step aside, the ADC has urged the Nigerian Senate to exercise its constitutional authority by rejecting the nomination. The party stated clearly: "Failing to do so, we call on the Senate to reject his nomination in the interest of our democracy."
Dangerous Precedent for Electoral System
The ADC expressed grave concerns about the long-term implications of such appointments on Nigeria's electoral system. According to their analysis, "This particular appointment of Prof. Yakubu blurs what should be a distinct line between players and umpires."
The party warned that if allowed to stand, this nomination could establish a dangerous pattern where "future INEC chairmen and commissioners may begin to see their positions as stepping stones to future political rewards." They further cautioned that "once that mindset enters the bloodstream of our electoral system, neutrality becomes impossible, partisanship becomes inevitable, and elections become transactional."
The ADC's position reflects broader concerns about the nature of the entire ambassadorial list, which they characterize as being designed primarily to "settle Tinubu's political IOUs rather than fix Nigeria's international relations crises." The nomination has sparked significant debate among political analysts and the public regarding the appropriate boundaries between electoral management and political appointments in Nigeria's democracy.
