Some countries, including India, have reportedly declined to accept several ambassadorial nominees recently posted by Bola Tinubu, citing diplomatic policies that discourage receiving envoys from governments with less than two years remaining in office.
Senior officials in Nigeria’s presidency and foreign service disclosed that India has already signalled its reluctance to accept career diplomat Muhammad Dahiru, who was designated to serve as Nigeria’s ambassador to New Delhi.
According to the officials, India maintains a standing policy against accepting ambassadors from administrations that have fewer than two years left in office, and the country is exercising its discretionary powers to decline the request submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Nigeria) for Dahiru’s posting.
Sources familiar with the development said the Nigerian government had begun receiving signals from New Delhi and possibly other capitals indicating their hesitation to grant agrément — the formal approval required from a host country before a diplomat can assume duty.
One Presidency official said some countries were reluctant to accept the nominees not because of their individual credentials but due to the short period remaining in the current administration’s tenure.
“They don’t accept an ambassador from an administration that has less than two years in office. So they are already giving us that body language,” the official said, noting that concerns also stem from the uncertainty surrounding Nigeria’s next presidential election.
Another senior foreign service official confirmed India’s position but expressed hope that Nigeria could leverage its diplomatic relationship with New Delhi to secure an exception.
The official noted that while India’s policy was clearly known, other countries might adopt similar positions based on their own diplomatic conventions.
President Tinubu on March 6 approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate and high commissioners to various countries and international organisations, including the United Nations. Dahiru was assigned to serve in New Delhi.
Among the nominees are former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, posted to Germany; presidential aide Reno Omokri, assigned to Mexico; former Chief of Army Staff Abdulrahman Dambazau, nominated for China; and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, named as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Nigeria) has only secured agrément from the United Kingdom for High Commissioner-designate Aminu Dalhatu and from France for Ambassador Ayodele Oke, leaving the status of the remaining nominees uncertain.
The situation may further delay efforts by the Tinubu administration to restore full ambassadorial representation across Nigeria’s 109 diplomatic missions. The government had earlier recalled all 83 career and non-career ambassadors in September 2023, leaving the missions without substantive heads.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled Nigeria’s next presidential election for January 16, 2027, while Tinubu’s first term is expected to end in May the same year.
Diplomatic experts say receiving countries often consider political timelines when granting agrément to envoys.
Nigeria’s former ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, said host countries were likely acting pragmatically by weighing the proximity of Nigeria’s elections before accepting an envoy.
He noted that elections could change the political leadership of a sending country, which might lead to the recall of ambassadors shortly after their appointment.
Another former Nigerian envoy, Mohammed Mabdul, said while friendly countries might not outrightly reject Nigeria’s nominees, political appointees could face greater scrutiny because their postings may not last long enough to make meaningful diplomatic impact.
The approval of ambassadors by receiving states is guided by Article 4 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which requires host nations to grant consent before a diplomat can be formally accredited.
Despite the diplomatic hurdle, Nigeria and India have strengthened bilateral relations in recent years. Tinubu visited New Delhi in September 2023 for the G20 Summit, where he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss cooperation in defence, trade, agriculture, and investment.
Modi later visited Nigeria in November 2024, the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 17 years. During the trip, both countries signed several agreements aimed at expanding the India–Nigeria Strategic Partnership established in 2007.
