The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has expressed displeasure with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s phone call to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, saying that its basis lacked clarity.
On the call, the American government official was said to have emphasised his continued commitment to further strengthening the US-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration.
But in a tweet Friday, Obi said the 2023 presidential election was still being contested in the court and that the US was expected “to await the full resolution of the ongoing judicial processes before tacitly conferring legitimacy on any of the contending parties.”
According to him, Nigerians expect that “the U.S. responses to our affairs should be based on mutual respect, shared ideals, aspirations and interests which ought to transcend the considerations of any individual”.
He further stated that the United States should not respond to political developments in Nigeria in a manner that faintly suggests taking sides.
The former Anambra State governor added that “the final determination of the true winner of the election can only be made by the relevant courts of law. More so, the issues in judicial contention imply far-reaching violations of both the Nigerian Electoral Law and the Nigerian Constitution.”
There is still a lack of clarity on the basis of the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken’s call to APC’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 16th May 2023. The most fundamental tenet and core value of democracy is the rule of law.
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) May 19, 2023
Blinken’s call to the former Lagos State governor was also frowned on by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, who expressed shock and said it was in contradiction to the US assessment of the election held three months ago.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had pronounced Tinubu winner of the presidential election, but both Atiku and Obi who came second and third respectively rejected the result and are currently in court contesting it.