President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has withdrawn the appointment of Alhaji Usman Isa Dakingari, former governor of Kebbi State, as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to the Republic of Turkey, barely hours after the posting was officially announced.

The reversal was confirmed in a follow-up statement issued by the Presidency on Friday, which clarified that no ambassadorial posting has been approved for Turkey at this time.

Dakingari was among four ambassador-designates announced on Thursday in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga. The list had indicated that Dakingari would serve as Nigeria’s envoy to Turkey.

Others earlier named in the announcement included Ambassador Ayodele Oke as ambassador-designate to France, Col. Lateef Are (rtd.) as ambassador-designate to the United States of America, and Ambassador Amin Dalhatu as high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom.

However, the Presidency, in a subsequent clarification, directed that only the postings to France, the United States and the United Kingdom should be recognised as valid, effectively withdrawing Dakingari’s designation.

“No ambassador has been appointed to Turkey,” the Presidency stated, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been instructed to notify only the affected countries with confirmed postings in line with diplomatic protocol.

No official reason was given for the sudden reversal, and the Presidency did not indicate when a new ambassador-designate to Turkey would be named.

The development comes ahead of President Tinubu’s planned state visit to Turkey, during which Nigeria is expected to engage Turkish authorities on trade, defence cooperation, infrastructure development and bilateral investments.

Diplomatic watchers described the move as unusual but noted that such adjustments, though rare, remain within the President’s constitutional powers.

The withdrawal does not affect the broader list of ambassadorial nominees earlier confirmed by the National Assembly, as postings are subject to presidential discretion and ongoing strategic considerations.

As of press time, efforts to obtain further clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were unsuccessful.