On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the phone with President-elect Bola Tinubu.
In a statement published in Washington DC, US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that throughout the conversation, Blinken stressed his continuous commitment to further enhancing the US-Nigeria partnership with the incoming Tinubu administration.
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke this morning with Nigerian President-elect, Bola Tinubu to emphasise his continued commitment to further strengthening the U.S.-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration.”
Miller said Blinken noted that the US-Nigeria partnership is built on shared interests and strong people-to-people ties and that those links should continue to strengthen under 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,” Miller said.
However, the the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed disbelief at Blinken’s call to Tinubu.
“I am in disbelief that Secretary Antony Blinken 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.”
U.S. Department of State President Joe Biden U.S. Mission Nigeria.”