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Facts have emerged as to why President Joe Biden is yet to congratulate Nigeria’s President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, more than one month after his victory in the February 25 presidential elections.
Many world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron and United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have sent their congratulatory messages immediately the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu as the winner of the election.
Some opposition elements and political activists, particularly supporters of Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi, have made an issue out of President Biden’s alleged reluctance to congratulate Asiwaju Tinubu even when the State Department had officially sent the United State Government’s goodwill and solidarity message to the incoming President of Nigeria.
Spokesperson of the State Department, Ned Price, in a statement issued on March 2, 2023 on behalf of the American Government expressed that country’s goodwill to the Nigerian Government and the President-elect.
“The United States congratulates the people of Nigeria, President-elect Tinubu and all the political leaders. The competitive election represents a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy,” the statement added.
Even as many chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are said to be uncomfortable with the silence from the White House, WesternPost has established the reasons the US president has not personally sent his goodwill message like other world leaders.
A source within the United States Government revealed to our correspondent that President Biden had decided to watch Nigeria’s political developments from the sidelines until opposition candidates fully exhaust their grievances through the judicial process having approached the Election Petitions Tribunal.
WesternPost also gathered that both the Nigerian president-elect and President Biden have close mutual friends who, though have impressed on the US President the need to congratulate his soon-to-be-counterpart in Nigeria, but also equally understood his position.
Our source said: “Asiwaju Tinubu and President Biden have close mutual friends and influential figures in the United States. These mutual friends impressed it on President Biden to congratulate Asiwaju Tinubu on his election victory. However, they also understood where President Biden is coming from.
“President Biden was told that Nigeria is the most important country in Africa and biggest black nation in the world which cannot be ignored.”
President Biden reportedly told those who approached him that he has nothing against Nigeria’s President-elect but only waiting for the post-election judicial processes to be concluded after which he will make personal call to Asiwaju Tinubu.
WP also gathered that the US Vice President, Kamala Harris, is another major reason why President Biden has not congratulated Nigeria’s President-elect because of her family relationship with a Nigerian of Igbo extraction who is a big Peter Obi supporter and lobbyist in the United States.
The US Vice-President’s niece, Meena Harris, is married to a Nigerian, Nicolas Ajagu, from Nimo town in Anambra State, the same state, Obi hails from and governed as governor for eight years.
Nicolas Ajagu is reported to have put pressure on his in-law, Kamala Harris, to ensure President Biden does not congratulate Asiwaju Tinubu.
Meanwhile, Vice President Harris ended a 3-nation African tour on Sunday April 3rd, 2023 with high-powered diplomatic shuttle to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia where she announced major US government -backed investments and agreements with her host countries.
Many foreign affairs analysts said Kamala Harris deliberately snubbed Nigeria in reaction to the outcome of the February 25th presidential election, which some sections of the international community have been led to wrongly believe was tainted. (WesternPost)
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