Do Nott Congratulate Nigeria's President Elect Ahmed Tinubu Chimamanda Adichie Tells United State's President Biden

Combo of Chimamanda and Tinubu

In a recent letter titled "Nigeria's Hollow Democracy," published in The Atlantic, celebrated Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie urged U.S. President Joe Biden to refrain from congratulating Bola Tinubu on his purported victory in Nigeria's presidential election. Adichie cautioned that such an action could legitimize what she described as an "illegitimate process."

According to Adichie, the election was marred by irregularities, including alterations on result sheets that were belatedly uploaded on the commission's server. She criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Chairman Mahmood Yakubu for ignoring glaring red flags and announcing a winner despite objections from worried citizens.

Adichie warned President Biden against following in the footsteps of his UK counterpart, Rishi Sunak, who rushed to congratulate Tinubu. She argued that supporting undemocratic processes would not help win the battle for influence in Africa and could harm America's self-proclaimed commitment to democracy.

Although members of Nigeria's ruling All Progressives Congress have praised the electoral office for improving Nigeria's elections, foreign experts, including retired American diplomat Johnnie Carson, have acknowledged that the election could have been better conducted. The main opposition parties, Labour and PDP, have filed petitions against Tinubu's election in court.

It is vital that the United States upholds its commitment to democratic principles, and in light of the concerns raised by Adichie and other observers, it may be prudent for President Biden to await the resolution of the court proceedings before congratulating any candidate on their victory in Nigeria's presidential election.