17th May, 2023
By Cecilia Ologunagba
Ahead of the May 29 inauguration date for new president in Nigeria, the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has called the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to discuss issues of mutual interest.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, said in a statement that Blinken called the Nigeria’s President-elect on Tuesday to discuss issues of interest.
The secretary noted that the U.S.-Nigeria partnership was built on shared interests and strong people-to-people ties and that those links should continue to strengthen under President-elect Tinubu’s tenure.
He also discussed the importance of inclusive leadership that represents all Nigerians, continued comprehensive security cooperation, and reforms to support economic growth with the president elect.
The U.S had earlier congratulated Tinubu on his victory in the February 25 presidential election.
Blinken congratulated Tinubu when he met his Nigerian counterpart, Geoffrey Onyeama, on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, according to a statement by State Department spokesman, Ned Price.
“This competitive election represents a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy,” Ned Price told reporters.
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC had declared Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, the winner of 2023 presidential election with 8.8 million votes.
He defeated Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of Labour Party who came second and third with 6.9 million and 6.1 million votes in the election respectively.
See the full statement on Blinken’s call to Tinubu on Tuesday below
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke this morning with Nigerian President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emphasize his continued commitment to further strengthening the U.S.-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration.
The Secretary noted that the U.S.-Nigeria partnership is built on shared interests and strong people-to-people ties and that those links should continue to strengthen under President-elect 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.