People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar described a phone call between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as “dismaying and conceding a rigged election in Nigeria”.
Recall that Bliken phoned Tinubu on Tuesday after the announcement that the imposition of visa restrictions on specific individuals had undermined the democratic process in the 2023 election.
According to a statement by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, Blinken told Tinubu that the Joe Biden administration is committed to strengthening ties with Nigeria.
The US Secretary said the US-Nigerian partnership is built on mutual interests and strong people-to-people relationships and that those relationships will continue to grow under Tinubu’s tenure.
Miller added that Bliken and Tinubu discussed the importance of inclusive leadership representing all Nigerians and reforms to support Nigeria’s economic growth.
Reacting in a statement via his Twitter account on Wednesday, Atiku said Blinken’s call to Tinubu contradicts the United States public position on the Nigerian election.
He said:
“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 @StateDept @POTUS @USinNigeria.”
