The ministry of foreign affairs has brushed off comments from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) criticising the delayed appointments of ambassadors at Nigerian missions abroad.
In a statement on Sunday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC interim national publicity secretary, said President Bola Tinubu's refusal to appoint ambassadors has "affected the quality of engagement and relationships with the host countries of Nigerian missions."
Abdullahi cited the visa policy updates from the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as "proof" of deteriorating relations owing to the absence of ambassadors.
But in a statement on Tuesday, Alkasim Abdulkadir, special assistant on media and communications strategy to Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, said the ADC's criticisms were "baseless" and "politicised".
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Abdulkadir said the delay in appointments of ambassadors is owed to Tinubu's "comprehensive reform of Nigeria's foreign service architecture to ensure that future ambassadorial appointments reflect not only political balance but also merit, competence, and integrity."
"The appointment of ambassadors is not a haphazard exercise to satisfy political impatience or party quotas," the statement said.
"It is a sovereign function, guided by rigorous considerations, national security priorities, and the strategic interests of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It requires extensive consultation, vetting, and bilateral clearance with host countries.
"The days of posting envoys as political rewards without requisite diplomatic experience or strategic fit are over," he added.
Abdulkadir noted that Nigeria remains diplomatically represented in all its missions headed by chargés d'affaires and asked the ADC not to undermine the credibility of the country's diplomacy by casting aspersions on the diplomats.
Abdullahi had also faulted Tuggar's comments on Nigeria's refusal to accept Venezuelan deportees amid pressure from the United States.
The ADC interim national publicity secretary said Tuggar's comment on "such sensitive diplomatic communications" was "recklessly" expressed.
In response, the minister's media aide said his principal's response was "measured, clear, and principled".
"There was no diplomatic faux pas in the public articulation of Nigeria's stance. In the age of open diplomacy and global media, communicating Nigeria's sovereign position is not 'recklessness'; it is accountability to the Nigerian people," he said.
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"Similarly, implying that the foreign minister's television appearance is evidence of 'recklessness' oversimplifies the nuances of modern diplomacy, where media engagement is increasingly part of soft power strategy.
"Sovereignty and national ethos are driving factors shaping Nigeria's global stance and assuaging national interests, which is paramount."
Abdulkadir described the ADC's messaging as largely driven by political opportunism.
He urged the ADC and other political actors to resist the temptation of weaponising foreign policy for domestic political gain, adding that Nigeria's global reputation is too important to be sacrificed on the altar of partisanship.
