2023 presidential poll “an insult to collective intelligence of Nigerians”- Chimamanda Adichie
Nigerian born award-winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Tuesday, addressed the recent article she wrote on the conduct of the 2023 presidential said that the February 25 presidential election was “unforgivably flawed. ”
Chimamanda, in an interview with ARISE NEWS , said that there was evidence to prove that the election was rigged.
“It is important to preserve the truth, and to tell the story of what happened. That election was unforgivably flawed, and there is evidence for that, “she said.
The famous writer who earlier wrote an open letter to the United States President, Joe Biden, condemning his congratulatory message to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, accused the US of being two-faced on issues that pertain to African countries.
“I wanted to call out the US for what I considered as its two-facedness when it comes to Africa,” she added.
In the open letter to the US President titled ‘Nigeria’s Hollow Democracy’, Chimamanda described the election as “a slap to the face of the Nigerian people and an insult to collective intelligence of Nigerians.”
Clarifying her position during the interview, the writer stated that the Nigerian people deserve an explanation rather than the “two-facedness of the US government” when it comes to African politics.
“This was an election that was unforgivably flawed and there’s evidence for that. The statement about technical glitches being the cause is unconvincing?” she said.
Speaking on her intervention, she said, “I wrote the letter to preserve this truth and call out the United States for what I consider two-facedness when it comes to Africa. They criticize African countries for being undemocratic and endorse the undemocratic process.”
She called for proper explanation from the Independent National Electoral Commission regarding the controversies surrounding the election as the conclusion that it was a matter of technical difficulties was “unconvincing”.
“Nigerians deserve the respect of an institution that is supposed to shepherd a democracy. So nobody has come out to explain to Nigerians how that happened.
“There’s a statement of technical glitches; it’s unconvincing and knowing how much hope and trust Nigerians invested in this election, knowing that Nigeria is a low-trust society means that if people are sincere and there’s nothing to hide, then you make an extra effort to go out and explain to Nigerians what happened.”
When asked about fears of criticism and threats of lawsuits for false allegations that were suspected to be made in the article, Chimamanda stated that not only did she expect it but also had no fears of this as she had stated in the article that though they were rumours with no evidence, it highlighted a need to check each one and provide the people with an explanation of the malpractices that took place during the election.
