Nigeria’s former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has declared that he would never, under any circumstance, nominate the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for an ambassadorial position if he were president.
Atiku made the statement in a post on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, warning that such a move by the current administration would erode public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.
“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,” he wrote.
According to him, nominating the former electoral chief—who supervised one of Nigeria’s most controversial general elections—would create the impression of a payoff rather than a merit-based appointment.
He argued that the decision would send a troubling signal to the nation’s electoral body.
“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,” Atiku stated.
The former vice president further described the idea as “morally indefensible,” stressing that an electoral umpire at the centre of a disputed election should not be rewarded with a diplomatic post by the political beneficiary of that process.
“This is not the path to strengthening our democracy or restoring public trust in our institutions,” he added.
Atiku’s reaction comes amid speculation that the federal government may consider appointing the former INEC chairman to a diplomatic role—an issue generating debate among political observers and civil society groups.
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