Politics
Ambassadorial list ready for NASS review after DSS clearance
The Federal Government has concluded the vetting of persons nominated to fill diplomatic roles in its 109 missions, 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates globally, The PUNCH confirmed.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the process told The PUNCH that the relevant agencies had completed security and background checks on each nominee. However, the President, who is expected to transmit a consolidated list to the National Assembly earlier in the week, has yet to do so.
On April 2, President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja for Paris, France, on a two-week working visit.
“During the visit, the President will appraise his administration’s mid-term performance and assess key milestones,” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed in a statement.
Onanuga said Tinubu would also use the retreat to “review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary.”
Multiple Presidency officials confirmed to our correspondent that with the vetting process over, the nominees were expected to be announced soon. However, no timeline was given for the transmission to the legislature.
“They have finished the DSS checks. That part is done. In fact, we were expecting the names to be out by yesterday or earlier than that. But so far, it looks like he (President Tinubu) still needs a little more time. Our eyes were up for this week. But it is confirmed that the background checks are over,” one official revealed, preferring to remain anonymous as he was not authorised to speak to the press.
Another source stated, “The names were supposed to be out earlier than yesterday (Wednesday). We’re not sure where the delay is coming from.”
Since September 2023, President Tinubu’s 4Ds—Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora—Foreign Policy has operated without envoys.
That month, the President concluded a sector-wide reassessment of Nigeria’s foreign policy, which saw over 83 career and non-career ambassadors recalled from their stations.
Last December, reliable sources close to the President confirmed that Tinubu spent part of the Yuletide holidays reviewing the names of nominees with plans to transmit a consolidated list to the National Assembly before the end of the month. In January, however, sources told our correspondent that the President changed his mind.
It was gathered that the process suffered delays due to the paucity of funds—$1 bn—required to pay foreign service officials’ arrears, settle a backlog of overheads, replace ageing vehicles, and renovate embassy buildings.
One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “You see, the major issue is money. Not money to pay them [ambassadors], because how much is their salary and benefits? The main money is CAPEX (Capital Expenditure). By the time they put the cost together to fix the issues, it is running to almost $1bn.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, had also attributed the delay to financial constraints.
“It is a money problem,” Tuggar said during a ministerial briefing in Abuja last May. He argued that appointing ambassadors without the financial resources to support their travel and the effective running of missions abroad was pointless.
“We met a situation where Foreign Affairs was not being funded like it should be. There is no point in sending out ambassadors if you do not have the funds for them to even travel to their designated country and run the missions effectively; one needs funding. Mr President is working on it, and it will be done in due course,” Tuggar explained.
After nomination by the President, the names of ambassadors-designate are forwarded to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs typically conducts interviews to assess the nominees’ credentials, diplomatic experience and commitment to serving Nigeria’s interests abroad.
Once the committee approves them, the full Senate votes on their confirmation. If confirmed, the nominees are then formally appointed by the president.
Following confirmation, the newly appointed ambassadors undergo an orientation programme organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which covers Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives, the host country’s context and expectations for diplomatic conduct.
Ambassadors then receive their Letters of Credence—an official document from the president—and present these credentials to the head of state (or government) in their assigned country.
Only after this ceremony are they recognised as Nigeria’s formal representatives, able to engage in diplomatic duties such as negotiation, consular services and fostering bilateral relations.
Impeccable sources attributed the delay to “last-minute changes” to the list of nominees.
“What I learned is that there are some last-minute changes to be made because once you release names like these, it becomes embarrassing for the government to start changing and apologising.
“If you pick someone who turns it down, it could embarrass the President. I know we were expecting it on Monday and Tuesday.
“The names were expected this week. But I can assure you that the DSS and the other agencies have done the bulk of their part. If there are some remaining, it should be one or two. But they have done their part,” a Presidency official said.
However, a highly placed foreign service officer familiar with the circumstances revealed that the President has been reluctant to bow to pressure to appoint envoys.
The official noted that the President was convinced that the monies meant for the deployment could be better used to address pressing domestic issues.
“From what I have seen, the President is reluctant to do this because of the cost. He feels the money could be used for more pressing issues at home, such as domestic reforms.
“You know, there is a lot of pressure internationally from the diplomatic community, the diaspora and general stakeholders. He’d rather use those funds for domestic issues, which feel more urgent.
“It is going to be released. But it is not clear how soon. I’ll be quite surprised if they are deployed early in the year. The process is slow,” the official told our correspondent.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, who explained the delays, said that nominations for diplomatic roles must be thorough before a final list is transmitted to the National Assembly.
“Don’t forget that the ambassadorial list has two components. There are career ambassadors and political ambassadors. The foreign affairs and consolidated list will still go through certain processes before it is released,” Onanuga said.
Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has dismissed suggestions that his exit from the African Democratic Congress has created a damaging split in the opposition.
He said he and Atiku Abubakar may yet work together before the 2027 general election.
Kwankwaso spoke in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, responding to concerns that his move to the Nigeria Democratic Congress alongside Peter Obi had effectively divided the opposition into two competing blocs ahead of the polls.
“Now, we may still work together before the election. I personally, and I think even Obi himself, decided to leave ADC not because we are fighting with Atiku or anybody there. We decided to leave that party because we realised that there are some issues,” he said
He said the ADC was contending with three major unresolved problems that he believed would make it difficult for the party to field candidates, without specifying what those issues were.
“Whether they will be able to field candidates in that party or not is just a matter of time. It’s not like we had a primary election,” he said
The remarks come after Atiku recently claimed on Arise TV that Kwankwaso’s popularity was confined to Kano State and further divided there by Governor Abba Yusuf.
Atiku, who is seeking the presidency on the ADC platform, also described himself as the most popular politician of northern extraction, saying none of his contemporaries, including Kwankwaso, Aminu Tambuwal and Nasir El-Rufai, commanded a voter base across the North as wide as his.
Kwankwaso did not engage the slight directly, but made clear he bore no grudge.
“Politics is just like a game. I’m not fighting anybody and I’m not expecting anybody to fight me. I have no issue with that. I think we are past that level now,” he said.
He challenged those predicting a vote split in Kano to wait for the election result before drawing conclusions.
“Let’s wait for the election and see whether votes are split in Kano or not,” he said.
Kwankwaso also acknowledged a history of working with Atiku, recalling that he served as the former vice president’s northern coordinator during the 2019 presidential election.
“There was an election in 2019 in Port Harcourt. He won the election. I was his coordinator for the north. We worked for him,” he said.
He traced his broader relationship with Atiku to the 2015 APC presidential primary in Lagos, where he placed second behind Muhammadu Buhari, with Atiku third.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expelled 30 members of the party for instituting legal actions against the party.
The affected members include some aspirants for the National Assembly, and their expulsion may disqualify them from participating in the party’s primary elections.
Disclosing this shortly after the meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the party, the State Publicity Secretary, Dr. Sir Valentine Iyiegbu, told reporters that the decision was in line with Section 21, Subsection 5 of the party’s constitution.
“The party discussed those who took the party to court, and many of them are contesting for the House of Representatives tickets of the party,” he said.
“The matter comes up tomorrow, and the SEC stated that what the party constitution stipulates would be followed, which is outright expulsion from the party under Article 21, Subsection 5.”
“The SEC actually ratified their expulsion because they did not exhaust all the internal avenues provided by the party to resolve their grievances,” he added.
Iyiegbu noted that the only reprieve available to the expelled members would be for them to withdraw their court cases.
“It is only when the matters are withdrawn from the court that the party can consider listening to them,” he said.
Speaking on the party’s primary elections, he explained:
“In the case of those contesting for the tickets of the Federal House of Representatives, all the eleven positions have aspirants, while for the Senate, the three positions are also being contested. The screening committees were here to perform their duties,” he noted.
The party also ratified the appointment of a five-man Primary Elections Committee headed by Sir Izuchukwu Okeke, the State Organising Secretary of the party.
By PETRUS OBI
Frontline aspirant for the Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River Federal Constituency seat, Anayo Onwuegbu, has successfully completed the screening exercise conducted by the All Progressives Congress House of Representatives screening panel in Abuja ahead of the party primaries scheduled for Friday, May 15, 2026.
Speaking after the exercise, Onwuegbu expressed satisfaction with the screening process, describing it as a reflection of the party’s commitment to internal democracy, transparency, and credible leadership selection ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The aspirant, who is seeking to represent Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River Federal Constituency under the platform of the APC, stated that he remains focused and prepared to continue to offer quality representation to the people of the constituency.
According to him, “The process once again highlights our party’s commitment to internal democracy, transparency, and the emergence of credible leadership as we prepare for the 2027 general elections.”
He reaffirmed his dedication to the development of the constituency, pledging to serve the people with commitment and purpose if elected.
The APC House of Representatives primaries are expected to hold nationwide on Friday as aspirants battle for the party’s tickets ahead of the 2027 elections.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Ten communities that make up Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State are set for a showdown with their traditional rulers following the alleged suspension of the zoning arrangement for the Anambra State House of Assembly elections.
Recall that on April 7, 2022, the traditional rulers, in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), resolved that the House of Assembly seats for Anaocha I and Anaocha II constituencies would rotate among the ten communities, with each town occupying the seat for two terms.
The traditional rulers further resolved that the rotation would subsist irrespective of the political party through which lawmakers emerge, noting that the arrangement was aimed at ensuring that all ten communities have the opportunity to produce members of the State Assembly in the interest of equity and fairness.
However, the Anaocha Equity Forum, shortly after its meeting, expressed concern over the alleged suspension of the zoning arrangement.
Speaking, the Convener of the Anaocha Equity Forum, Mr. Valentine Okoye, said the forum would not take kindly to what it described as acts capable of destabilising the council area, adding that any such move would be resisted.
“This is a Memorandum of Understanding signed by our traditional rulers, and it has been respected until now. We in the Anaocha Equity Forum see this as a slap on the sensibilities of the ten communities that make up the area,” he said.
“We urge members of the public, political parties, and stakeholders to disregard the alleged position of the traditional rulers, as it does not represent the views and aspirations of our people.
“Our traditional rulers should be mindful of their roles as fathers of their respective communities. They should also understand that they would be held responsible for whatever backlash or consequences may arise from this recent position.
“We call on Governor Charles Soludo to call the traditional rulers to order so that the peace currently enjoyed in Anaocha Local Government Area will not be disrupted,” he stated.
The exit of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, two prominent opposition figures, has weakened the African Democratic Congress across both chambers of the National Assembly.
The National Democratic Congress, which received Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso on Sunday, recorded its biggest gains on Tuesday with the addition of 17 House members and a senator. Weeks earlier, its ranks expanded when Seriake Dickson, representing Bayelsa West, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to join the party.
The development comes a few days after several opposition parties resolved to present a single presidential candidate against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
The wave of defection to the NDC occurred 48 hours after Obi and Kwankwaso, two of the ADC’s most prominent figures, formally exited the party. These moves have significantly altered the opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections, setting the stage for shifting political alliances.
Additionally, the latest defectors, drawn from Kano, Anambra, Lagos, Edo, Rivers, and Kogi States, cited internal disarray within the ADC as a major factor that influenced their decision.
While reading their letters on the floor of the House, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary session, said the lawmakers blamed the party’s instability for their departure, noting that the crisis remained “unresolved starting from the ward to the national level.”
The defectors to the NDC are Yusuf Datti, Sani Adamu, Zakari Mukhtari, Kamilu Ado, Harris Okonkwo, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Peter Anekwe, Emeka Idu, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, and Afam Ogene. Others include Lagos lawmakers Thaddeus Attah, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, George Olwande, and Jese Onuakalusi, as well as Murphy Omroruyi from Edo and Umezuruike Manuchim from Rivers State.
In a separate move, Kogi lawmaker Leke Abejide defected from the ADC to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The coordinated nature of the defections is widely interpreted as a show of loyalty to Obi and Kwankwaso, whose switch to the NDC is already reshaping opposition dynamics.
Both men are influential political figures with strong regional bases—Obi in the South-East and Kwankwaso in the North-West—and their exit from the ADC appears to have triggered a ripple effect among lawmakers aligned with their political structures.
The ADC’s current troubles did not emerge overnight. In recent months, tensions within the party escalated over leadership struggles, strategy disagreements, and competing ambitions among top figures.
The situation worsened amid reports of irreconcilable differences between Obi, Kwankwaso, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was also a central figure in opposition coalition talks.
Efforts to build a united front ahead of 2027 reportedly broke down due to mistrust, zoning disagreements, and control of party structures.
Their eventual defection to the NDC marked a turning point. Seen as a more viable platform for consolidating opposition strength, the NDC quickly became a magnet for lawmakers and political actors seeking stability and clearer leadership direction.
With the departure of key figures and a steady decline in its legislative strength, the ADC now faces a daunting struggle to maintain political relevance.
The loss of national figures like Obi and Kwankwaso, combined with the defection of lawmakers across multiple states, appears to have weakened its structure and electoral prospects.
Only last week, the party boasted 24 members of the House of Representatives, but it is now left with six.
Once the dominant opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party may equally struggle to retain its status.
Though still officially the most formidable opposition in the House, the PDP currently has 29 members in the Green Chamber, down from 116 members in its ranks at the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June 2023.
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