A routine screening session at the Senate on Wednesday turned unexpectedly dramatic when one of President Bola Tinubu’s ambassadorial nominees, Ambassador Emmanuel Adeyemi, failed to name all three Senators representing his home state, Ekiti—a lapse that sparked outrage among lawmakers.
Adeyemi, a deputy director in the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had initially impressed members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs with his robust diplomatic record, including postings in Hong Kong and France, as well as a PhD.
However, the atmosphere shifted sharply when he attempted to acknowledge legislators from his state.
While addressing the panel, Adeyemi said he wished to “pay tribute to the two Senators from my state,” confidently naming Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and Senator Yemi Adaramodu—but then went blank.
When asked to name the third Senator, Adeyemi appeared visibly startled. Senators reminded him that every Nigerian state is represented by three Senators, except the FCT which has one. As confusion lingered, a member of his delegation scrambled to look up the third Senator—Senator Cyril Fasuyi—on Google, drawing murmurs of disapproval across the room.
Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South) sharply criticized the nominee, calling the oversight troubling.
“Much as we admit that one man can’t know everything, it is expected that somebody like you, who has been nominated to represent the country as an Ambassador, should know details like the three Senators from your state,” he said.
“It is even important that the people we are presenting at a time the international perception of our country is… are competent enough to repair our image.”
Senators Adams Oshiomhole and Seriake Dickson echoed Ekpenyong’s concerns, describing the lapse as unacceptable for someone seeking a high diplomatic posting.
But Senator Yunus Akintunde, who represented Senate Leader Bamidele at the screening, pleaded for mercy on Adeyemi’s behalf.
“Please forgive him. Please let us overlook his mistake and pardon him for not knowing that Ekiti, like other states, has three Senators,” he said, though he also expressed disappointment over the delegation’s frantic search for answers online.
Adeyemi is one of three ambassadorial nominees from Ekiti State, alongside Erelu Angela Adebayo and Olumilua Oluwayimika.
Wednesday’s screening also featured several career diplomats, including Ahmed Sulu-Gambari, Maimuna Besto, Monica Enebechi, Ahmed Monguno, Kingsley Onaga, Magaji Umar, and Aminu Nasir.
In a surprise moment, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, currently representing Ondo South and a former governorship aspirant, appeared before the committee and was asked to “take a bow and go,” despite not being on the initial schedule for the day.
President Tinubu last week transmitted a list of 65 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, citing Section 171 (1), (2), and (4) of the 1999 Constitution and urging swift approval. The list includes seasoned diplomats like Sulu-Gambari Olatunji Ahmed, Ahmed Mohammed Monguno, and Maimuna Ibrahim, and notable non-career nominees such as former presidential aide Ita Enang, ex–Chief of Naval Staff Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), and former Army Chief Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau (retd.).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the entire list to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, giving it one week to conclude its work.
Wednesday’s session marked the second phase of the ongoing screening. A smaller batch—Kayode Are (Ogun), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo)—had earlier faced the panel, during which Oke addressed long-standing allegations linked to his previous public service record.
Insiders say the staggered submission of nominees forms part of a deliberate restructuring of Nigeria’s foreign service as the administration prepares for comprehensive reforms across global diplomatic missions.
