Ndume asks Tinubu to withdraw ambassadorial list over ‘federal character breach’

Ali Ndume, former senate leader, has asked President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the list of ambassadorial nominees sent to the upper chamber.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the list on Thursday and referred it to the committee on foreign affairs for screening.

Ndume said the composition of the list violates the federal character principle embedded in the constitution.

He said while some states have three or four nominees, Gombe has none.

Ndume said the only nominee from Yobe, Adamu Talba, died in July, adding that the entire north-east has seven individuals on the list.

He said the south-west has 15 nominees, while the north-west and south-east have 13 and nine, respectively.

The senator, who represents Borno south, said the north-central has 10 nominees, and the south-south has 12.

Ndume said the list breaches section 14(3) of the constitution, which requires federal appointments to reflect national spread.

He quoted the section as saying the government must operate “in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity”.

The section also warns against “predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups”.

Ndume urged Tinubu to avoid decisions that could inflame ethnic tension or deepen distrust in the country.

He said Tinubu should act carefully “amidst the wrong narrative being promoted by the Western world against his administration”.

“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.”

He described Tinubu as “a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholders in the country”.

Ndume said the president should send a fresh list that aligns with the constitution’s federal character principle.

He said government appointments must reflect the “diverse states and peoples of Nigeria”.