Tinubu sends 65 Ambassadorial nominees to senate, seeks quick confirmation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated 65 new ambassadors, including former Rivers State sole administrator Ibok-Ete Ibas and former Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau, forwarding the list to the Senate for confirmation.

Other notable non-career nominees include former Akwa Ibom North-East senator (2011–2015) Ita Enang, former Imo First Lady Chioma Ohakim, and Senator Folasade Grace Bent.

The nominations were contained in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Thursday’s plenary on December 4, 2025, in Abuja.

In the letter, President Tinubu urged the Senate to accelerate its consideration of the nominees, stressing the urgency of filling key diplomatic roles. He wrote that the request was made to “ensure that key diplomatic vacancies are promptly filled.”

Akpabio subsequently referred the list to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and directed the committee “to complete its screening and submit its report within one week.”

The newly submitted list is separate from the earlier batch of ambassadorial nominees released by the presidency.

Among the 65 nominees are 34 career ambassadors and high commissioners, as well as 31 non-career ambassadors and high commissioners. Prominent career nominees include Sulu-Gambari Olatunde Ahmed from Kwara State and Segun Ige from Edo State.

Akpabio also disclosed that three previously nominated candidates Kayode Are (Ogun), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo) “have been screened by its committee on Foreign Affairs, while the new 65 nominees have been forwarded to the same committee for screening within one week.”