The scheduled date for Nigeria’s next presidential election may further complicate efforts by the Federal Government to secure acceptance for recently nominated ambassadors.
PrimeTimes Nigeria understands that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed January 16, 2027, for the next presidential election, while President Bola Tinubu’s first tenure is expected to end in May of the same year.
The timeline has raised concerns among diplomatic stakeholders, as several countries are reportedly reluctant to accept ambassadors whose tenure may last less than two years.
Earlier findings by Punch had indicated that some receiving countries insist that ambassadors must have a minimum tenure of one to two years tied to the life span of the sending country’s administration.
A senior foreign service official who spoke with Punch explained that the short period remaining before the end of the current administration could create difficulties in securing agrément for the nominees.
The official said, “The problem we have, which we are trying at the moment to see what we can do about, is that most countries, like India, will tell you that if an ambassador has less than one year or two, they may have issues.
“Usually, one year counts to the end of any current administration. So, that is where there might be a challenge. By the time they get the agrément, some of these ambassadors will have just a few months left.”
The official further noted that the diplomatic process itself could significantly reduce the time the envoys would spend in their host countries.
According to the source, some ambassadors-designate may not begin their tours of duty until August 2026 due to delays in background checks and the approval process.
“Some people may not go before August because some countries will take their time to do background checks. When you send the name, sometimes they will respond, ‘Send someone else.’
“And when you insist on asking why, they will give you their own report of their background checks. Or they may just ignore you for six months,” the official disclosed.
Vienna Convention Requires Host Country Consent
Diplomatic practice also requires that the receiving country must first approve the appointment of an ambassador.
Under Article 4 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a host state must grant consent before a foreign envoy can be accredited.
Commenting on the development, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Singapore, Amb. Ogbole Amedu-Ode, said countries that hesitate to accept the nominees are merely being pragmatic.
He said, “The underlying word here is pragmatism. Those receiving states are just being pragmatic if they take that view because the next round of general elections is in a year from now, in February and March.
“The question is now about an envoy from a president who is facing an election in a year. Elections, no matter how we think we understand them, can go either way.
“So, why receive letters of credence from a principal envoy from a President who has just one year and some months remaining for his first term in office? So, they may dilly-dally in issuing an agrément.”
Amedu-Ode also criticised the administration for waiting several years before nominating ambassadors.
“The mistake has been made by the current administration already because they shouldn’t have waited two to three years into their term before nomination, screening, and deployment of heads of missions,” he said.
However, another former envoy, Mohammed Mabdul, who served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Algeria, argued that friendly nations were unlikely to outrightly reject Nigerian nominees.
He, however, drew a distinction between career diplomats and political appointees.
Mabdul said, “The political appointees are the problem. Once received and accredited, they are usually expected to remain for two to three years.
“But with the next election in just a year now, there is the possibility that they may start returning to participate in campaigns. So, they may not make any serious impact with their posting.”
The diplomatic uncertainty may further delay efforts by the Tinubu administration to restore full ambassadorial representation abroad.
The President had recalled all 83 career and non-career ambassadors in September 2023, leaving Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions without substantive heads.
Twenty-seven months later, the government is still working to fill the positions, as several nominees await acceptance from host countries.