SaharaReporters earlier reported that Blinken had a phone conversation with Tinubu in which he promised the Nigerian ‘President-elect’ that President Joe Biden’s administration was committed to strengthening diplomatic relations with Nigeria.
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has criticised the United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken for recognising Nigeria's ‘President-elect’, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Blinken had a phone conversation with Tinubu in which he promised the Nigerian ‘President-elect’ that President Joe Biden’s administration was committed to strengthening diplomatic relations with Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement Blinken released to the public, announcing that he was in a telephone conversation with the Nigerian ‘President-elect’ to discuss how to strengthen inclusive governance in the most populous African nation.
Atike, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), came second behind Tinubu after the results of the February 25 presidential election were announced by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
He has since disagreed with the outcome and challenged the results in court.
Atiku took to his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday, where he described the election as ‘fraudulent’ and Blinken's call to Tinubu as a contradiction to America's stand on the 2023 presidential 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," Abubakar tweeted.