India and some other undisclosed countries have declined to accept some of President Bola Tinubu’s recently posted ambassadors-designate due to diplomatic policies that discourage receiving envoys from administrations with less than two years remaining in office, according to findings by The PUNCH.
High-ranking officials in the Presidency and within Nigeria’s foreign service disclosed on Tuesday that India, where career diplomat Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru has been designated to serve, maintains a standing policy against accepting ambassadors from governments with tenures of less than two years remaining.
The development underscores emerging diplomatic complications surrounding the deployment of Nigeria’s new envoys and raises questions about the timing of the ambassadorial appointments, given the approaching end of the current administration’s first term.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the Asian nation is exercising its discretionary authority to decline the request submitted by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking acceptance of Dahiru’s posting as ambassador to New Delhi.
The situation confirms an earlier exclusive report published by The PUNCH in February 2026 in which insiders had warned that challenges were likely to confront several of Tinubu’s ambassador-designates, as some host countries might reject or delay accepting the nominees because of the limited time left in the current administration’s tenure.
The concerns raised earlier now appear to be materialising, with India’s position serving as the first confirmed example of a country applying such a policy in relation to Nigeria’s latest round of diplomatic postings.
Explaining the reluctance of certain host countries, a source familiar with the discussions said the hesitation is not necessarily tied to the personal qualifications of the nominees but rather to the political timeline of the Nigerian government that nominated them.
The source stated, “Some countries are reluctant to accept some people, not because of the individuals but because of time. They are already seeing the Tinubu government as an outgoing government. So their concern is that he has just one year left, so what if he doesn’t win the election? Another government may come and remove them. We also understand that some countries have this policy. Any ambassador from an administration that has less than a year or two in office will not get accepted. And one of such countries is India.”
A second source, identified as a senior foreign service official, confirmed India’s policy position but expressed cautious optimism that Nigeria might still be able to rely on its longstanding diplomatic relationship with New Delhi to secure an exception to the rule. According to the official, diplomatic engagement and political calculations could still influence the outcome of the discussions between both countries.
The official said, “I know India has that policy. If you are less than two years to the end of the tenure, there will be difficulties accepting an ambassador. Maybe we can leverage our relationship with them to scale through that. Of course, there are those among them who gauge political tides, and some may see that this government can win the next election. Perhaps they may see that the election may not be so competitive because virtually everybody has moved towards the APC. They may say the chances for APC’s victory are high. That is one of the arguments the government will push forward.”
The official further explained that while India is currently the only country whose policy has been clearly identified in relation to the rejection of ambassadors with short tenures, other countries may adopt similar positions based on their diplomatic traditions or internal conventions.
According to the official, “India is the only one I can confirm to you for now. The others will be based on their conventions and practices. But the one I know for sure now is India. We will have to do a lot of convincing because they have a standing rule.” The comments suggest that Nigeria’s diplomatic corps may face prolonged negotiations with host nations before all the newly nominated ambassadors can formally assume their duties.
Another official familiar with the matter disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already secured funding for the mandatory induction course required for ambassadors-designate before their deployment abroad. However, the official noted that the timeline for the training programme remains uncertain as the government awaits further developments regarding the acceptance of the nominees by host countries. The official said, “On the training, we don’t know when for now. But the Foreign Ministry has the funds already to undertake the induction course.”
President Tinubu had on Friday, March 6, approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate and high commissioners to various countries as well as to the United Nations. Among those assigned were Ambassador Dahiru, who was nominated to serve in New Delhi, alongside several prominent political figures and former government officials.
The list of nominees includes former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, who was posted to Germany; presidential aide Reno Omokri, who was designated to serve in Mexico; former Katsina State Governor and retired military officer Abdulrahman Dambazzau, who was nominated for China; and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who was named as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The large list of nominees was intended to restore Nigeria’s full diplomatic representation abroad after the recall of ambassadors earlier in the administration.
However, despite the announcement of the nominees, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far received agrément—the formal diplomatic approval required from host governments—only from two countries. The approvals have come from the United Kingdom for High Commissioner-designate Aminu Dalhatu and from France for Ambassador Ayodele Oke. The fate of the remaining 63 nominees remains uncertain as Nigeria continues to await responses from the host countries to which the envoys have been posted.
Under Article 4 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a receiving state must grant consent before any ambassador can be accredited. The provision effectively gives host countries the authority to accept or decline diplomatic nominees without being obligated to publicly explain their reasons. This principle of diplomatic consent has become a key factor shaping the unfolding situation around Nigeria’s ambassadorial appointments.
Commenting on the development, Nigeria’s former envoy to Singapore, Ambassador Ogbole Amedu-Ode, said that countries considering Nigeria’s political calendar before accepting ambassadors are simply acting pragmatically. He explained that the short timeline before Nigeria’s next elections naturally raises concerns among host nations about the continuity of diplomatic representation.
According to him, “The underlying word here is pragmatism. Those receiving states are just being pragmatic if they take that view because the next round of general elections is in a year from now, in February and March. The question is now about an envoy from a president who is facing an election in a year.
Elections, no matter how we think we understand them, can go either way. So, why receive letters of credence from a principal envoy from a President who has just one year and some months remaining for his first term in office? So, they may dilly-dally in issuing an agrément.”
Amedu-Ode also criticised the delay in the nomination and deployment of ambassadors by the current administration, describing it as a strategic mistake that has complicated Nigeria’s diplomatic planning. He said, “The mistake has been made by the current administration already because they shouldn’t have waited two to three years into their term before nomination, screening, and deployment of heads of missions.”
Another former Nigerian diplomat, Ambassador Mohammed Mabdul, who previously served as Nigeria’s envoy to Algeria, offered a slightly different perspective. While he acknowledged the possibility of diplomatic hesitation, he argued that friendly countries may be reluctant to reject Nigerian nominees outright.
However, he noted that political appointees could face additional scrutiny because of the likelihood that they may soon return to domestic politics. Mabdul said, “The political appointees are the problem. Once received and accredited, they are usually expected to remain for two to three years. But with the next election in just a year now, there is the possibility that they may start returning to participate in campaigns. So, they may not make any serious impact with their posting.”
The diplomatic complications surrounding the new ambassadorial appointments could further delay President Tinubu’s efforts to restore full ambassadorial representation across Nigeria’s missions abroad. The situation has persisted for months following the government’s decision in September 2023 to recall all 83 career and non-career ambassadors serving in Nigeria’s foreign missions.
Since then, the country’s 109 diplomatic missions worldwide have largely been operating without substantive heads of mission, a development that diplomats say could affect Nigeria’s foreign policy engagement and representation.
The issue of timing has been a recurring concern among officials within Nigeria’s foreign service. In an earlier report, a senior official had explained that many countries require ambassadors to have a minimum tenure tied to the life span of the sending government’s administration.
The official had said, “The problem we have, which we are trying at the moment to see what we can do about, is that most countries, like India, will tell you that if an ambassador has less than one year or two, they may have issues. Usually, one year counts to the end of any current administration. So, that is where there might be a challenge. By the time they get the agrément, some of these ambassadors will have just a few months left.”
The official also warned that administrative processes and background checks carried out by host countries could further shorten the already limited timeline for the ambassadors-designate.
According to the source, “Some people may not go before August because some countries will take their time to do background checks. When you send the name, sometimes they will respond, ‘Send someone else.’ And when you insist on asking why, they will give you their own report of their background checks. Or they may just ignore you for six months.”
The timeline constraints are particularly significant because the Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled Nigeria’s next presidential election for January 16, 2027, while Tinubu’s first tenure in office is set to conclude in May of that year.
This means that by the time some of the ambassadors-designate receive agrément and complete their preparations for deployment, they may have only a few months to serve before the next election cycle potentially changes the country’s diplomatic leadership.
Despite the emerging diplomatic challenges, Nigeria’s relationship with India has remained active in recent years under the Tinubu administration. The President visited India in September 2023 to attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi as a guest nation, where he held bilateral discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on expanding cooperation in defence, agriculture, trade, and investment.
Just over a year later, in November 2024, Modi paid his first official visit to Nigeria in 17 years, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the country since 2007.
During the two-day visit, both leaders signed several Memoranda of Understanding covering areas such as cultural exchange, customs cooperation, and survey collaboration, while also discussing ways to strengthen the India–Nigeria Strategic Partnership established in 2007.
As part of the diplomatic engagements during the visit, President Tinubu conferred on Modi Nigeria’s second-highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, making the Indian leader only the second foreign dignitary after Queen Elizabeth II to receive the prestigious award.