Jake Epelle, the chief executive officer of TAF Africa, claims that he is unsure whether President Bola Tinubu was given the right advice before recommending Mahmood Yakubu as the ambassador to represent the nation.
Epelle criticized the political process that led to such an appointment and questioned the decision-making process in a speech on Monday during Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily breakfast program.
Read more: Tinubu chooses his best ambassador nominees for his administration, Aide.
Given the controversy surrounding Nigeria’s electoral process and the need to resuscitate confidence in national institutions, he argued that this action would increase public distrust.
Epelle argued that Yakubu’s nomination, which came so soon after his time at INEC, was a matter of legitimate concern and ought to have been approached with more thoughtfulness given public opinion.
“I don’t know who gave Mr. President advice about Mahmood, who is also a good friend of mine, in fact.
“I believed that Professor ought to have sat down and sat in his country home before returning to the university to teach.
He may still be interested in running for office, but that’s up to him, I don’t know. However, I do take one appointment with a dash of salt. The rights advocate claimed that the President wasn’t given the proper advice.
He claims that Nigeria’s political appointments are frequently motivated by a small clique of influencers in front of the President rather than by concerns for public opinion or national interest.
“Remember that these appointments are made by cabals, just a few people who are very close to the President, who will advise him,” he continued.
Nominees who were “Expired” were
He claimed that the majority of the candidates on the president’s list had expired.
“Those names, in my opinion, are no longer relevant. There are too many people who have contributed little to politics and all other kinds of settings, Epelle claimed.
He added that Nigerians hoped for better-quality advice on sensitive appointments, particularly those involving former electoral officials, as well as clearer vetting, more consultation, and better-quality advice.
In this context, he continued during the program, “Federal character was not respected; it was more political tokenism and favoring those who had done something for them.”
He therefore urged the President to ensure that future nominations were handled without relying on the opinions of a select few and with greater transparency and consideration of public confidence.
32 people were nominated to serve as ambassadors in Nigeria’s foreign missions, according to Tinubu’s list released last Saturday.
Additionally present were former governors of Enugu and Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, Femi Fani-Kayode, and Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide.
Source: Channels TV
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