The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of violating diplomatic decorum in announcing the appointment of new ambassadors.
The opposition party branded the move as a diplomatic disaster and another example of the government’s incapacity.
In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party stated that announcing ambassadorial posts without first obtaining the necessary consent, known as agrément, from host countries violates established diplomatic processes.
According to the ADC, international diplomatic practice under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, namely Article 4, requires a government to get the approval of the receiving country before announcing the appointment of an ambassador.
“After nearly three years in office and three months after the Senate confirmed the ambassadorial nominees, the latest announcement from the State House appears to have reversed the proper order of things and reflects the Tinubu administration’s failure to understand the fundamental procedures that govern diplomatic relations.
“Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, particularly Article 4, a sending state must first obtain the consent, known as agrément, of the receiving state before officially appointing or announcing a head of mission,” Abdullahi informed the press.
He explained that the request for approval is typically made quietly through diplomatic channels to prevent embarrassment if the recipient government rejects the nominee.
“Announcing appointments and then demanding consent demonstrates that the government does not know what it is doing. “You cannot announce postings while also requesting agreement,” he remarked.
The party claimed that such acts expose Nigeria to potential diplomatic embarrassment because the receiving country has the ability to accept or reject a nominee after performing its own checks.
“The process is normally done behind the scenes to save the sending country from the embarrassment that a rejection would bring. But this government doesn’t get it,” the statement continued.
ADC also recalled a similar mistake made by the government last year when ambassadorial appointments to the United Kingdom, the United States, and France were announced.
The party also criticised the government’s decision to send an unscreened ambassador to Turkey, claiming that it should have learned from past mistakes.
“After the blunder of similarly announcing postings to the UK, the United States and France last year, including sending an unscreened ambassador to Turkey, we would have expected the government to learn its lessons and course-correct,” Abdullahi told journalists.
The party also questioned why the government waited more than three months after the Senate confirmed the ambassadors before seeking approval from host countries.
“The question to ask is: why did it take the government more than three months after nominating these ambassadors before now requesting consent?” he speculated.
ADC also voiced alarm about what it termed as an incomplete ambassadorial list, pointing out that Nigeria has approximately 109 diplomatic missions globally, but only 65 ambassadors have been announced.
“Nigeria has 109 diplomatic missions around the world, but the government has only announced 65 ambassadors. What happens with the remaining 44 missions? “Are those positions to remain vacant indefinitely?” the party enquired.
The party cautioned that leaving numerous missions without ambassadors could erode Nigeria’s diplomatic presence at a time of increasing global difficulties.
According to Abdullahi, the Tinubu administration has 449 days remaining in office, and the country risks being misrepresented abroad if the matter is not addressed.
“This could be Nigeria’s first administration so inept that it can’t even appoint ambassadors at a time when the country needs to be represented at the highest levels of global governance.” “The damage that would cause to the country is difficult to contemplate,” he added.