USA Congratulates Nigeria on Election, Issues Statement to Politicians

The United States has congratulated Nigeria for electing Bola Tinibu of the ruling party as its president even though the election was highly disputed.

On Thursday, March 2, USA’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued the congratulatory statement through one of his aides while discussing the election with his Nigerian counterpart Geofrey Onyeama while in New Delhi during the Group 20 summit.

“This competitive election represents a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy,” Ned Price told reporters Wednesday.

Also Read: Nigeria Decides: Tinubu Declared President in Highly Disputed Election

Price acknowledged the discontent among some Nigerians over the validity of the results, as at least one opposition figure has promised to dispute the outcome.

“We understand that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted,” he said.

“Nigerians are clearly within their rights to have such concerns and should have high expectations for their electoral process,” Price said, urging political leaders to register their concerns through established legal “mechanisms.”

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Tinubu, the candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress, won 8.8 million votes, while main opposition candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi snagged 6.9 million and 6.1 million, respectively.

Nigerian officials had hoped new biometric voter identification technology would make the election the cleanest yet, but malfunctions, long delays and slow results have fuelled the accusations of fraud.

“We call on all parties to refrain from violence or inflammatory rhetoric at this critical time,” Price said.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Tinubu, the candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress, won 8.8 million votes, while main opposition candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi snagged 6.9 million and 6.1 million, respectively.

Nigerian officials had hoped new biometric voter identification technology would make the election the cleanest yet, but malfunctions, long delays and slow results have fueled the accusations of fraud.

“We call on all parties to refrain from violence or inflammatory rhetoric at this critical time,” Price said.