Some countries, including India, have reportedly declined to accept a number of ambassadors recently nominated by Bola Tinubu, citing diplomatic policies tied to the remaining tenure of the sending government.
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Sources within Nigeria’s Presidency and the foreign service disclosed that India has a standing practice of not accepting ambassadors from administrations with less than two years left in office.
One of those affected is career diplomat Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru, who was nominated to serve in New Delhi.
According to officials familiar with the matter, the Asian country is exercising its discretion to delay or reject the request from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Dahiru’s acceptance.
“They don’t accept an ambassador from an administration that has less than two years in office. So they are giving us that body language already,” a Presidency source said.
The development follows earlier concerns that several of Tinubu’s ambassador-designates could face resistance from host countries due to the limited time left in the administration’s current tenure.
Under diplomatic protocol, countries must grant formal approval known as agrément before a nominated envoy can assume duties. Without this consent, ambassadors cannot be officially deployed.
Officials say while India’s position is the most explicit so far, other countries may adopt similar approaches, potentially delaying Nigeria’s plan to fully restore ambassadorial representation across its foreign missions.
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