A prominent northern lawmaker, Senator Ali Ndume, has asked President Bola Tinubu to urgently withdraw the newly submitted list of ambassadorial nominees.
Ndume made the call in Abuja, stressing that the composition of the list does not reflect the constitutional requirement of fairness and balance expected in federal appointments.
The Borno South senator raised concerns that the current list breaches the Federal Character principle, a key constitutional guideline intended to ensure equal representation across the country.
He pointed out that while some states have multiple nominees in some cases three or four while others were completely omitted.
Gombe State, for instance, had no representative, and the only nominee from Yobe, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, passed away in July.
Ndume explained that the distribution of nominees across geopolitical zones further highlights the imbalance.
According to him, the Southwest alone has 15 nominees, more than double the entire Northeast, which has only 7.
The Northwest has 13, Southeast 9, North Central 10, and South-South 12. He warned that such an uneven spread sends the wrong signal at a time when Nigerians expect inclusiveness from the government.
Quoting Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, Ndume emphasised that appointments into federal offices must promote national unity and avoid any form of dominance by particular states or groups.
He insisted that the ambassadorial list, in its current state, contradicts this constitutional provision.
Ndume appealed directly to President Tinubu to “withdraw this list” and avoid decisions that could deepen division or create distrust among ethnic groups.
He described the president as a leader who understands Nigeria’s diversity and believes a corrected list will better reflect the spirit of fairness the Constitution demands.
He urged the presidency to send a fresh list that captures the full spread of the federation and assures Nigerians that every region has a place in the country’s diplomatic representation.
Recall that the Senate President had earlier read out the list during plenary and forwarded it to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for screening and further legislative consideration.