India and some other countries have refused to accept a number of Nigeria’s newly appointed ambassadors due to diplomatic rules linked to the remaining time in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Officials in the Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed to Punch on Tuesday that India has a policy that discourages receiving ambassadors from governments that have less than two years left in office.
Because of this rule, the country has declined to accept Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru, a career diplomat who was recently posted to New Delhi.
Earlier reports revealed that some of the ambassadorial nominees sent out by the Nigerian government could face rejection from their host countries due to the limited time left before the next presidential election.
Sources familiar with the matter explained that the Nigerian government has already begun receiving signals from India and possibly other countries about their unwillingness to approve some of the appointments.
In diplomatic practice, the receiving country must first grant approval, known as agrément, before an ambassador can officially assume duty.
One official in the Presidency explained that India appears unwilling to accept a diplomat from an administration that may have less than two years left in office.
According to the source, the country is already showing signs of resistance to the request sent by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The official added that the concern is not about the individuals nominated for the posts but about the remaining time in the administration that nominated them.
Some countries are reportedly worried that if the current government does not win the next election, a new administration might recall the ambassadors shortly after they begin their assignments.
Another senior official in the foreign service confirmed India’s position but said Nigeria might still try to use its relationship with the country to seek an exception.
The official explained that some foreign governments sometimes study political developments in a country before deciding whether to accept an envoy, especially when elections are close.
The official also said that while India’s rule on the matter is clearly known, other countries may follow similar practices based on their own diplomatic traditions.
For now, India remains the only country where the policy has been confirmed.
A third source said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already secured funds to organise the mandatory training programme for the ambassador-designates.
However, the date for the training has not yet been fixed.
President Tinubu approved the posting of 65 ambassadors and high commissioners on March 6, assigning them to different countries and international bodies. Ambassador Dahiru was posted to India as part of the list.
The nominees include former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode, who was posted to Germany; presidential aide Reno Omokri, assigned to Mexico; former Katsina State Governor Abdulrahman Dambazzau, posted to China; and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, nominated as Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
So far, only two countries have granted approval for Nigeria’s nominees.
The United Kingdom has accepted Aminu Dalhatu as High Commissioner, while France approved Ayodele Oke as Nigeria’s ambassador.
This leaves 63 other nominees still waiting for approval from their host countries.
Nigeria’s next presidential election has been scheduled for January 16, 2027, while President Tinubu’s current term is expected to end in May of the same year.
Reports had indicated that some countries prefer ambassadors to have at least one or two years left in the tenure of the government that appointed them.
This is because the process of background checks and approval can take several months.
A senior foreign service official explained that once the names of ambassadorial nominees are sent to host countries, those countries often conduct detailed checks before deciding whether to accept them.
In some cases, they may ask Nigeria to send another nominee or delay their response for months.
According to the official, if the process takes too long, some of the ambassadors may only begin their duties around August 2026, leaving them with less than a year before the election.
Diplomatic rules under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations require that the receiving country must first give consent before an ambassador can be formally recognised.
