Chimamanda Writes US Govt for Congratulating Tinubu

Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written an open letter in the Atlantic titled “Nigeria’s Hollow Democracy” addressed to Joe Biden, the President of the United States.

The celebrated writer slammed the American President and the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak for congratulating Nigeria’s president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite a flawed electoral process as a result of record of widespread violence, ballot box snatching, voter’s intimidation, and other malpractices which marred the February 25 poll.

The author stated  that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to deliver on its promise to upload election results from polling units in real-time via its result viewing portal.

She further called on Biden to not remain unconcerned toward the current state of Nigeria by endorsing the results of the “undemocratic process,”.

According to the international writer, the American government prioritized stability over democracy in Africa, and the U.S State Department congratulated Tinubu despite the complaints from Nigerians about the flaws in the election process.

She claimed that the election was imperiled not by technical shortcomings, but by deliberate manipulation.

She also questioned why the United States would endorse a president-elect who emerged from an unlawful process, and accused the American response to the Nigerian election of being disingenuous and compromised.

“Why would the United States, which prioritises the rule of law, endorse a president-elect who has emerged from an unlawful process?,” she wrote.

Adichie also stated that many Nigerians are upset not because their preferred candidate lost in the election but “because the election they had dared to trust was, in the end, so unacceptably and unforgivably flawed.”

“Congratulating its outcome, President Biden, tarnishes America’s self-proclaimed commitment to democracy. Please do not give the sheen of legitimacy to an illegitimate process. The United States should be what it says it is,” she concluded.

Adichie urged President Biden to uphold the importance of a “global community for democracy” and stand up for justice and the rule of law. 

Adichie said that supporting undemocratic processes in Nigeria would not counter China’s influence to win the battle for influence in Africa, she said it would only lead to further frustration among young people in the country.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) the winner of the 2023 presidential election having polled a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 6,984,520 to emerge second.