Senator Ali Ndume on Saturday faulted President Bola Tinubu’s newly released ambassadorial list, insisting that the composition violates the Federal Character principle and risks inflaming ethnic tensions across the country.
Ndume, who represents Borno South, urged the President to withdraw the list immediately and send a fresh set of nominees that reflects “the spirit and letters of the Constitution.”
The Presidency had earlier forwarded the names of career and non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for screening.
But the former Senate Leader, in a strongly-worded statement, warned that the list “is in clear breach of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution,” which mandates equitable representation of all parts of the country in federal appointments.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list,” Ndume said.
“At this critical time in the life of his administration, he should avoid missteps that could endanger national unity and promote ethnic distrust.”
Describing Tinubu as a “cosmopolitan leader,” Ndume said the President must not allow a flawed list to cast doubts on his commitment to fairness and national inclusion.
“He should present a fresh set of nominees that aligns with the Federal Character principle. Government’s structure must represent the diverse states and peoples of Nigeria,” the lawmaker added.
Preliminary checks indicated significant disparity in the distribution of nominees. While some states reportedly have three or four slots, others—such as Gombe State—have no representation.
A breakdown further showed:
South-West: 15 nominees
North-West: 13
South-East: 9
South-South: 12
North-Central: 10
North-East: 7
The uneven spread, critics argue, contradicts the constitutional demand that no part of the country should dominate federal appointments.
Quoting directly, Section 14(3) of the Constitution states that appointments “shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria… ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or ethnic groups.”
Ndume warned that the wrong signal at a time of rising mistrust could deepen fissures in the country.
> “The President must avoid decisions that fuel ethnic tension, especially with the wrong narratives being pushed by the Western world against his administration,” he cautioned.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had on Thursday read the list during plenary and referred it to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for screening.
However, with Ndume’s objection—and possible pushback from other lawmakers—the screening may face delays unless the Presidency withdraws or adjusts the list
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