Political News in Nigeria Today
Atiku laments Blinken’s call to Tinubu
Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, criticised and called “demoralising” the phone call between Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, and Antony Blinken, the secretary of state of the United States.
He said that by making the call, the US had acknowledged a “fraudulent election” in Nigeria.
Blinken emphasised his continuous commitment to furthering the US-Nigeria partnership with the next administration in a phone conversation with Tinubu on Tuesday.
Also Read: US Govt recognises Tinubu as next President after Blinken’s phone call
When they spoke, Tinubu pledged that he would take office on May 29 and work quickly to unite the nation. Additionally, he promised to maintain good ties with the US.
The newly elected president stated that one of his top priorities will be to implement institutional reforms and development initiatives to strengthen our democratic institutions and assist the most vulnerable and underprivileged Nigerians.
In addition, he reaffirmed his resolve to steadfastly serve the Nigerian people as president while advancing the country’s democracy.
During the talks that lasted about 20 minutes, Tinubu spoke about his eventful sojourn in America in the 70s, where he graduated with honours as an accountant in 1979.
He also recalled how the US offered him sanctuary after the late General Sani Abacha’s military government exiled him as a result of his tenacious fight for democracy in Nigeria.
Atiku, who ran against Tinubu in the February 25, 2023 presidential election, responded to the discovery on Wednesday by expressing “disbelief” with the phone call.
The former vice president and presidential candidate for the People’s Democratic Party in the election said in a tweet on his Twitter profile on Wednesday that the decision was in conflict with the US’s past position on the election.
“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,” he wrote.
Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, was declared the president-elect after the 70-year-old polled 8,794,726 votes to win the 2023 presidential election.
But both Atiku, and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, had rejected the results with the duo claiming to have won the election. They are presently in court challenging the election outcome.
