Ndume explains joining screening despite calling for withdrawal of ambassadorial list

Ali Ndume, former senate leader, has explained why he participated in the screening of ambassadorial nominees despite earlier calling on President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the list over alleged breach of the federal character principle.

The lawmaker had, on the eve of the screening exercise, urged Tinubu to withdraw the ambassadorial list, citing what he described as a lopsided composition that violates section 14(3) of the 1999 constitution, which mandates fairness and balance in federal appointments.

He had argued that the list failed to reflect the federal character of Nigeria, warning that such an imbalance could undermine national unity.

However, the Borno south senator joined his colleagues on the senate committee on foreign affairs to screen nominees forwarded to the upper chamber.

Addressing journalists on Sunday, Ndume said he was persuaded by members of the committee not to boycott the screening and was assured that the committee’s concerns would be formally communicated to the president.

“I still maintain that the list is lopsided,” he said.

“At the committee level, I raised a constitutional order at the committee meeting, and we agreed that we will continue with the screening, but in our report, we will tell the president that the composition of the remaining list should be balanced to address our concerns on breach of federal character principles as enshrined in our constitution.”

The senator added that the leadership of the committee assured him that its observations would be reflected in the final report submitted to the president.

Ndume said states excluded from the current nominations should be accommodated in subsequent submissions to the senate.

“We have 109 missions. For the non-career ambassadors, each state should have one to balance it because states like Gombe and Yobe were not captured, while some states have only career ambassadors, which is more or less non-political ambassadors,” he said.

“Each state should have two or three ambassadors, and each state should have at least one career ambassador since we have 109 embassies, which consist of 76 embassies and 22 high commissions and 11 consulates.

“This can accommodate three ambassadors per state, non-career and career. That will address the issue of lopsidedness and breach of section 14(3) of the constitution. Don’t forget that we have 194 countries in the world.”

Ndume said the senate would formally convey its observations to Tinubu as part of the screening report, urging the president to address the imbalance before the confirmation of the remaining nominees.