NIGERIA: India Rejects Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominee, Cites Policy Issue

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

India has declined to accept Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to New Delhi, career diplomat Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru, due to a standing diplomatic policy against receiving envoys from administrations with less than two years remaining in office.

High-ranking officials in the Presidency and foreign service confirmed on Tuesday that New Delhi is exercising its discretionary powers to reject the posting, following Nigeria’s request for agrément.

The development aligns with an earlier exclusive report by this newspaper in February 2026, which revealed that several of President Bola Tinubu’s 65 ambassador-designates risked rejection by host countries due to time constraints on their potential tenure.

Sources familiar with the matter said India’s policy is based on pragmatism, as the next presidential election is scheduled for January 16, 2027, leaving President Tinubu’s first term with roughly one year remaining by May 2027.

A Presidency official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of diplomatic negotiations, stated that India is already giving signals of reluctance, with the concern centred on the short timeframe. The official noted that receiving states view the current administration as potentially outgoing, raising questions about continuity if another government assumes power after the election.

A senior foreign service official confirmed India’s position but expressed hope that Nigeria could leverage its strong bilateral relationship with New Delhi to secure an exception. The official said while India has a clear standing rule against short-tenure ambassadors, other countries may apply similar conventions or practices, though India is the only one confirmed so far.

Efforts are underway to convince host nations by highlighting the possibility of the current administration’s re-election.

Another official disclosed that while funding has been secured for the mandatory induction course for ambassadors-designate, the timeline remains uncertain pending agréments.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far received agrément only from the United Kingdom for High Commissioner-designate Aminu Dalhatu and from France for Ambassador Ayodele Oke, leaving the fate of the remaining 63 nominees unclear.

Nigeria’s former envoy to Singapore, Amb Ogbole Amedu-Ode, described the rejections as pragmatic on the part of receiving states, noting that no country wants to invest in accrediting an envoy who may return home within months due to elections.

He criticised the delay in nominating ambassadors, stating that the administration should not have waited over two years before initiating the process.

The diplomatic impasse highlights challenges in Tinubu’s efforts to restore full ambassadorial representation abroad, 27 months after recalling all 83 career and non-career ambassadors in September 2023, leaving many of Nigeria’s 109 missions without substantive heads.

Despite strong bilateral ties with India, including President Tinubu’s attendance at the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nigeria in November 2024, the tenure policy has created a hurd

le for the current postings.