Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday said he is in disbelief that US Secretary of State, Antony Bliken called President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on phone.
Atiku, in a tweet, said the call represented a contradiction to the publicly stated position of the US on Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.
According to him, this was inconceivable considering that America, as the bastion of democracy, was well briefed on the sham election of February 25.
He added that to give legitimacy to the widely acknowledged fraudulent election in Nigeria could be demoralising to citizens who had hedged their bet on democracy and the sanctity of the ballot.
In his words: “I am in disbelief that @SecBlinken called Tinubu, a contradiction to the publicly stated position of the US on Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.
“This is inconceivable considering that America, as the bastion of democracy, is well briefed on the sham election of February 25.
“To give legitimacy to the widely acknowledged fraudulent election in Nigeria can be demoralising to citizens who have hedged their bet on democracy and the sanctity of the ballot.”
Blinken, earlier today called Tinubu on phone to emphasised his continued commitment to further strengthening the U.S.-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration.
Spokesperson Matthew Miller said: “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke this morning with Nigerian President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emphasize his continued commitment to further strengthening the U.S.-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration.
“The Secretary noted that the U.S.-Nigeria partnership is built on shared interests and strong people-to-people ties and that those links should continue to strengthen under President-elect Tinubu’s tenure.
“Secretary Blinken and President-elect Tinubu discussed the importance of inclusive leadership that represents all Nigerians, continued comprehensive security cooperation, and reforms to support economic growth.”
