Dare Babalola
Some countries, including India, have reportedly declined to accept some of President Bola Tinubu’s ambassador nominees due to diplomatic policies requiring a minimum tenure of two years for incoming ambassadors.
According to Punch, top officials in the Presidency and foreign service revealed on Tuesday that India, where Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru is set to serve, has a policy of not accepting ambassadors from governments with less than two years left in office.
It was gathered that the Asian giant is exercising its discretionary powers to turn down the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ request to accept Dahiru’s posting.
This development aligns with an earlier report in February 2026, which cited sources saying several of Tinubu’s ambassador nominees might be rejected by host countries due to time constraints.
Three anonymous sources close to the matter told us the Federal Government had received indications from New Delhi and possibly other capitals that they are hesitant to approve the appointments.
“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,” a Presidency official told our correspondent.
The source continued, “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.”
A senior foreign service official also confirmed India’s stance but hoped Nigeria could leverage its ties with New Delhi 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.
“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 official said.
The source noted that India has a clear policy against short-tenure ambassadors, and other countries might have similar unwritten rules.
“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.
A third official said the Foreign Ministry has funding for the ambassadors’ induction course, but the schedule’s still up in the air.
“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, on Friday, March 6, approved the postings of 65 ambassadors-designate and high commissioners to various countries and the United Nations, with Ambassador Dahiru assigned to serve in New Delhi.
Among the 65 nominees are former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode (Germany), presidential aide Reno Omokri (Mexico), former Katsina State Governor Lt Gen Abdulrahman Dambazzau (China), and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (UN Permanent Representative).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far only received agrément from the United Kingdom for High Commissioner-designate Aminu Dalhatu and from France for Amb Ayodele Oke, leaving the fate of the remaining 63 envoys uncertain.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the next presidential election for January 16, 2027. Tinubu’s first tenure is set to conclude in May that year.
In an earlier report, it was gathered that several countries may insist that ambassadors have a minimum tenured period of a year or two tied to the life of the sending country’s administration.
A highly-placed foreign service official had then disclosed, “The problem we have, which we are trying at the moment to see what we can do about, is that most countries, like India, will tell you that if an ambassador has less than one year or two, they may have issues.
“Usually, one year counts to the end of any current administration. So, that is where there might be a challenge. By the time they get the agrément, some of these ambassadors will have just a few months left.”
The official noted that some ambassadors may not commence their tours of duty until August 2026, which would leave them with barely nine months before the next election.
“Some people may not go before August because some countries will take their time to do background checks. When you send the name, sometimes they will respond, ‘Send someone else.’ And when you insist on asking why, they will give you their own report of their background checks. Or they may just ignore you for six months,” the official disclosed.
Under Article 4 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, receiving states must grant consent before any ambassador can be accredited.
