Atiku Abubakar
Atiku takes exception to US Secretary of State’s chat with Tinubu
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in February 25 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has taken an exception to details of the chat between US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The former Vice President said the details of the chat amounted to a contradiction as it does not reflect the true position of the United States government on the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
Blinken had during the telephone conversation with Tinubu on Wednesday assured the Nigerian President-elect of the U.S. commitment to further strengthening the U.S.-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration.
The Secretary Blinken noted that the U.S.-Nigeria partnership was built on shared interests and strong people-to-people ties and that those links should continue to strengthen under President-elect Tinubu’s tenure.
But Atiku in a tweet on Wednesday expressed disbelief, saying the call was a contradiction to the publicly stated position of the US on Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.
According to him, acknowledging the 2023 presidential election result can be demoralising to citizens.
“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.”
Recall that the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, had said that the presidential polls of February 25 failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
She disclosed that many Nigerians are angry and frustrated with the process and outcome of the elections.
Leonard, in an op-ed, ‘The Elections of February 25.’ urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to address the challenges that can be resolved ahead of the March 11 gubernatorial elections and to undertake a broader review of the problems that transpired during the last elections and what can be done to fix them.
