Ndume Explains Participation in Screening Despite Call to Withdraw Tinubu’s Ambassadorial List

Senator Ali Ndume, the former Senate Leader representing Borno South, has offered a comprehensive explanation for his decision to participate in the screening of President Bola Tinubu’s ambassadorial nominees by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. This move came despite his earlier, widely publicized demand for the President to withdraw the entire list over concerns that its composition violated the constitutional principle of Federal Character. His explanation details a legislative compromise aimed at ensuring constitutional compliance without stalling the confirmation process.

Prior to the commencement of the screening exercise, Senator Ndume had emerged as a principal voice of dissent, publicly expressing his worry that the distribution of nominees was heavily “lopsided.” He argued explicitly that the list contravened Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates that the composition and conduct of the Government of the Federation or its agencies must reflect the nation’s diverse federal character to promote national unity and command national loyalty.

Speaking to journalists, the Borno South Senator disclosed that his participation was the result of persuasion from his colleagues on the committee. He stated that he was convinced not to boycott the screening and confirmation exercise after securing firm assurances from the committee’s leadership that his constitutional objections would not be ignored. Instead, the concerns regarding the structural imbalance in the nominations would be formally and forcefully conveyed to the President through the official committee report.

“I still maintain that the list is lopsided,” Ndume asserted, confirming that his core objection remains unchanged. He detailed the agreement reached at the committee level, saying, “I raised a constitutional order during our meeting, and we agreed that while the screening would proceed, our report would clearly advise the President that the remaining nominations should be balanced to address the breach of the federal character principle.” This strategy, he explained, allows the confirmation of qualified individuals to proceed while simultaneously exerting pressure on the executive arm to correct the constitutional anomaly in the subsequent batch of nominations.

The Senator stressed the critical importance of accommodating states that were entirely omitted from the current set of nominations in the final, comprehensive list to be forwarded to the Senate. He specifically noted the lack of representation for states such as Gombe and Yobe, and highlighted a structural issue where some states only received nominees for career ambassador roles, which he characterized as being “largely non-political appointees.” His argument is that the non-career, or political, appointments are essential for ensuring a fair distribution of executive patronage across the federation.

To ensure compliance with the spirit and letter of Section 14(3), Ndume put forward a practical solution based on the number of Nigeria’s diplomatic missions. He noted that with 109 diplomatic missions—comprising 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates worldwide—Nigeria has the capacity to ensure equitable representation. He proposed that, “For non-career ambassadors, each state should have at least one to ensure balance,” adding that, “Ideally, each state should have two or three ambassadors, including at least one career ambassador.” Such a spread, Ndume maintained, would effectively address the prevailing issue of imbalance and honor the constitutional requirement for national spread in federal appointments. The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs successfully concluded the screening process last week, setting the stage for the legislative report containing Senator Ndume’s constitutional advisory to be formally transmitted to the President.