Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to nominate the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, for an ambassadorial post, stating that he would never have made such an appointment if he were president.
Atiku, who ran in the 2023 presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described the nomination as raising “serious concerns” and warned that it could be perceived as a political reward rather than a merit-based appointment.
“Let me state without ambiguity: under no circumstance would I, as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nominate the immediate past INEC Chairman for an ambassadorial position,” Atiku wrote on his X account on Thursday.
He argued that the nomination “presents terrible optics for an administration already struggling with credibility” and could send the wrong signal to the electoral body.
“It risks appearing as a quid pro quo rather than a recognition of merit. It sends the wrong message to the current @inecnigeria leadership; that partisan, compromised, or poorly executed elections may ultimately be rewarded,” he said.
Atiku further described the move as “morally indefensible,” noting that an electoral umpire at the centre of one of Nigeria’s most disputed elections should not become a beneficiary of its outcome.
“This is not the path to strengthening our democracy or restoring public trust in our institutions,” he added.
President Tinubu’s nomination of Yakubu is currently awaiting legislative approval.
