Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that the nomination of the immediate-past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (EFCC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, as Ambassador by President Bola Tinubu, has presented a 'terrible optics' for the administration, which, according to him, was already battling with credibility issues.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Presidency had at the weekend announced a list of ambassadorial nominees, including career diplomats and politicians. Some Nigerians, however, have picked holes in the nomination of a few of the nominees by President Tinubu.
The former Vice President and Opposition Leader particularly said that under no circumstance would he, as President of Nigeria, nominate Prof. Yakubu for ambassadorial position, noting that such a nomination raises serious concerns.
Taking to his verified Facebook page on Thursday evening, Atiku argued that Yakubu's nomination sends the wrong message to the current INEC leadership; that partisan, compromised, or poorly executed elections may ultimately be rewarded.
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He wrote: "Let me state without ambiguity: under no circumstance would I, as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nominate the immediate-past INEC Chairman for an ambassadorial position.
"Such a nomination raises serious concerns. It risks appearing as a quid pro quo rather than a recognition of merit. It presents terrible optics for an administration already struggling with credibility. It sends the wrong message to the current INEC leadership; that partisan, compromised, or poorly executed elections may ultimately be rewarded. And most importantly, it is morally indefensible for an umpire at the centre of one of the most disputed elections in our history to become a beneficiary of its outcome.
"This is not the path to strengthening our democracy or restoring public trust in our institutions."
