India and some other yet-to-be-named countries have reportedly declined to accept certain ambassadors-designate recently posted by President Bola Tinubu, citing diplomatic policies that discourage receiving envoys from governments with less than two years remaining in office.
Multiple high-ranking officials in the Presidency and the foreign service disclosed this development to Punch on Tuesday, noting that India has a standing policy against accepting ambassadors from administrations approaching the end of their tenure.
One of the nominees affected is career diplomat Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru, who was designated to serve in New Delhi.
The move confirms an earlier report by Punch in February 2026 that several of Tinubu’s ambassadorial nominees could face rejection by host countries because of concerns about the limited time remaining in the administration.
Sources familiar with the matter said the Federal Government had begun receiving diplomatic signals from New Delhi and possibly other capitals indicating reluctance to grant agrément for some of the nominees.
Agrément is the formal approval given by a host country for a diplomat appointed by another nation. It is a mandatory requirement before an ambassador can assume office in the receiving state.
A Presidency official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said India had already communicated its position informally.
“They don’t accept an ambassador from an administration that has less than two years in office. So they are giving us that body language already,” the official said.
According to the source, the hesitation by some countries is not necessarily about the individuals nominated but rather about the uncertainty surrounding the remaining tenure of the current administration.
The official said, “Some countries are reluctant to accept some people, not because of the individuals but because of time. They are already seeing the Tinubu government as an outgoing government.
“So their concern is that he has just one year left, so what if he doesn’t win the election? Another government may come and remove them.
“We also understand that some countries have this policy. Any ambassador from an administration that has less than a year or two in office will not get accepted. And one of such countries is India.”
FG Hopeful Of Diplomatic Exception
Another senior foreign service official confirmed India’s policy but expressed optimism that Nigeria could leverage its diplomatic relationship with the Asian country to secure an exception.
“I know India has that policy. If you are less than two years to the end of the tenure, there will be difficulties accepting an ambassador. Maybe we can leverage our relationship with them to scale through that,” the official said.
The official added that some foreign governments might also assess Nigeria’s political landscape before making a final decision.
“Of course, there are those among them who gauge political tides, and some may see that this government can win the next election.
“Perhaps they may see that the election may not be so competitive because virtually everybody has moved towards the APC. They may say the chances for APC’s victory are high. That is one of the arguments the government will push forward,” the source added.
While India is currently the only country confirmed to have such a policy, officials said other countries could adopt similar conventions depending on their diplomatic practices.
“India is the only one I can confirm to you for now. The others will be based on their conventions and practices. But the one I know for sure now is India. We will have to do a lot of convincing because they have a standing rule,” the official stated.
Ambassadorial Training Yet To Commence
Meanwhile, another official disclosed that although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has secured funds for the mandatory induction course for the ambassadors-designate, the schedule for the training has not yet been finalised.
“On the training, we don’t know when for now. But the Foreign Ministry has the funds already to undertake the induction course,” the source said.
President Tinubu had on Friday, March 6, approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate and high commissioners to various countries and international organisations, including the United Nations.
Among those nominated are former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode (Germany), presidential aide Reno Omokri (Mexico), former Katsina State Governor Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau (China), and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (Permanent Representative to the United Nations).
So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has secured agrément from only two countries, the United Kingdom for High Commissioner-designate Aminu Dalhatu and France for Ambassador Ayodele Oke, leaving the fate of the remaining 63 nominees uncertain.