Tinubu Picks Ex-INEC Chair Mahmood Yakubu, Reno Omokri As Ambassadors [FULL LIST]

Nurudeen Shotayo 20:47 - 29 November 2025

L-R: Former INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and President Bola Tinubu [Kola Sulaimon/AFP]

Tinubu had earlier sent the names of three ambassadorial nominees to the Senate as part of actions that followed the recent upsurge in security threats.

President Bola Tinubu has included the immediate Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in the list of 32 ambassadorial nominees sent to the Senate for confirmation.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, unveiled the list in a statement issued on Saturday, November 29, 2025, stating that the nominees will be assigned to nations with which Nigeria has relationships and to other international bodies, such as the United Nations.

The nominees include ex-ministers, former governors/deputies, former lawmakers, and political allies, among others.

Former governors of Abia and Enugu states, Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, respectively, made the cut, as did Reno Omokri, ex-media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, and erstwhile Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode.

The list consists of two categories of nominees: career ambassadors (15) and non-career ambassadors (17).

A further breakdown shows that there are 10 women nominees, with four in the career ambassador cadre and the remaining six on the non-career ambassador list.

Tinubu Speeds Up After Insecurity Threats

President Bola Tinubu had a security meeting with service chiefs and heads of agencies at the Presidential Villa on Sunday. [Presidency]

This comes a few days after Tinubu sent names of three ambassadorial nominees — Ayodele Oke, Amin Mohammed Dalhatu and Kayode Are — for senate confirmation.

The nominees are designated for posting to the UK, the US, and France.

The move is part of renewed vigour by the Tinubu administration following recent security threats across the country, resulting in the abduction of over 300 students and churchgoers in separate attacks.

The President has been severely criticised for refusing to appoint ambassadors to countries such as the U.S. and the UK. The condemnation became intense after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to invade Nigeria following a claim of Christian persecution.

Since Trump's threat, Tinubu has declared a nationwide state of emergency on security, ordered the withdrawal of police officers from VIP duties, and approved the recruitment of 20,000 officers to strengthen the force.

See the full list of 32 ambassadors nominated by President Tinubu: