Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 poll Atiku Abubakar has expressed disbelief on the phone call made by the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Nigeria’s President-elect Bola Tinubu.
Blinken, according to a statement attributed to a spokesperson for the US Department of State Matthew Miller, spoke with Tinubu on Tuesday morning.
Mr Blinken, the statement said, emphasised “his continued commitment to further strengthening the U.S.-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration.”
Mr Tinubu, on his part, promised to hit the ground running and unify Nigeria upon his assumption of office as president, pledging also to ensure positive relations with the United States.
Atiku, whose camp has been urging the US not to recognise Tinubu on the allegations that his victory was fraudulent, noted via Twitter on Wednesday that the action of the US could demoralise Nigerians who believe in democracy and the sanctity of the ballot.
He said, “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.”
