The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the announcement of ambassadorial postings by the Tinubu administration, describing it as a diplomatic blunder and further evidence of what it called the government’s incompetence.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the decision to publicly announce ambassadorial postings before securing the required agrément from host countries violates established diplomatic protocol and exposes Nigeria to possible international embarrassment.
According to the party, under Article 4 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a sending state must first obtain the consent of the receiving state—known as agrément—before officially appointing or announcing a head of mission.
“By announcing appointments and at the same time stating that consent is being sought, the government has clearly demonstrated a misunderstanding of the basic principles of diplomatic engagement,” the statement said.
ADC noted that the process of requesting agrément is traditionally conducted discreetly through diplomatic channels to avoid embarrassment in the event that a nominee is rejected by the receiving country.
“It is precisely to prevent such embarrassment that this process is handled quietly. Unfortunately, this government appears not to understand this fundamental rule of diplomacy,” the party added.
The party also questioned why the government announced only 65 ambassadors for Nigeria’s approximately 109 diplomatic missions worldwide, leaving 44 missions without designated envoys.
“What happens to the remaining missions? Are they to remain vacant indefinitely while Nigeria’s diplomatic footprint continues to shrink at a time of increasing global uncertainty?” the statement queried.
ADC further asked why it took the government more than three months after Senate confirmation of the nominees to begin requesting agrément from host countries.
The party warned that the continued delay and confusion surrounding ambassadorial appointments risk weakening Nigeria’s presence in global diplomacy.
“With about 449 days left in office, the Tinubu administration must recognise the urgency of ensuring that Nigeria is properly represented at the highest levels of international engagement,” the statement said.
