Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded elections, Atiku Abubakar, has expressed disbelief over the phone call made to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, by United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, despite the legitimacy of his election being called to question.
Atiku objected to the call in a tweet on his verified handle @atiku on Wednesday, describing it as a “contradiction”.
The PDP flag bearer asserted that calling the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the election acknowledged as fraudulent can be demoralising to Nigerians who trusted in democracy and sanctity of the ballot.
Atiku’s tweet, which tagged @StateDept @POTUS @USinNigeria, stated: “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. -AA”
The Blinken’s phone call to Tinubu had been revealed by US Department of State spokesperson, Matthew Miller, who posted a statement on the official website of United States government.
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke this morning with Nigerian President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emphasise 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,” the statement said.
