India and a number of other countries have reportedly declined to accept some of President Bola Tinubu’s newly appointed ambassadors, citing diplomatic policies that discourage receiving envoys from governments with less than two years remaining in office.
Senior officials within the Presidency and the foreign service disclosed that India maintains a standing policy against accepting ambassadors from administrations nearing the end of their tenure. The policy is currently affecting the planned posting of Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru, a career diplomat nominated to serve in New Delhi.
Sources said India is exercising its discretionary powers to decline Nigeria’s request for agrément — the formal approval a host country must grant before a foreign diplomat can assume duty.
A Presidency official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the hesitation from some unnamed countries is largely linked to the limited time left in the current administration.
According to the official, governments may be reluctant to accept envoys when a presidential tenure is close to ending because a new administration could replace them after elections.
Another senior foreign service official confirmed that India operates such a policy but expressed hope that Nigeria might still secure an exception through diplomatic engagement.
The official also noted that some countries could consider Nigeria’s political outlook ahead of the next election when assessing the nominations.
President Tinubu approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate and high commissioners on March 6 to various countries and international organisations, including the United Nations.
Among the nominees are former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode (Germany), presidential aide Reno Omokri (Mexico), former Interior Minister Abdulrahman Dambazau (China), and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who was nominated as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
So far, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received agrément from the United Kingdom for High Commissioner Aminu Dalhatu and from France for Ambassador Ayodele Oke, while approvals from other countries remain pending.
Nigeria’s next presidential election is scheduled for January 16, 2027, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission, while Tinubu’s current tenure ends in May 2027.
Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations adopted in 1961, host countries must grant consent before a foreign ambassador can be accredited.
Former Nigerian ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, said the development reflects diplomatic pragmatism, noting that countries often consider the political calendar of sending nations before approving ambassadors.
The diplomatic challenge comes nearly 27 months after the Tinubu administration recalled 83 ambassadors in September 2023, leaving Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions without substantive heads for an extended period.