18th May, 2023
Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo on Wednesday said the US knew that PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and LP’s Peter Obi are behaving like Donald Trump, refusing to accept obvious defeat and relying on propaganda to deceive the world.
Keyamo was reacting to Atiku’s comment that he was in disbelief that US Secretary of State, Antony Bliken called President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on phone.
Reacting, the former spokesman of Tinubu during the last presidential election said it was not a contradiction that Blinken spoke with Tinubu.
“The United States and @SecBlinken know you and Peter Obi are behaving like Donald Trump in America: refusing to accept your obvious defeat and relying on propaganda to deceive the world. They have your type in the US, so they understand the issues correctly.
“They know that whilst there were intolerable incidents during the election perpetrated by all leading parties (for instance Peter Obi got far less votes in Anambra State than was declared – I dare them to publish what is on IREV), they also have credible reports that those isolated incidents did not substantially affect the overall outcome of the elections.
“They know both of you could not have won when, as opposition parties, you split your votes into 3 parts, with even a revolt of 5 of your Governors within your depleted party. Yes, they know you lost and Tinubu won, fair and square.
“And for those who perpetrated these irregularities during the elections, the US has applied the appropriate sanctions (and we welcome those sanctions which deepen our democracy), but that is that. It is not a condemnation of the entire election as you have wrongly assumed,” he said.
Keyamo added that “Hence, a couple of days ago, the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the U.S Embassy in Nigeria, Mr David Greene visited the Vice-President-Elect Senator Kashim Shettima and earlier today Secretary Blinken put a call through to Tinubu to pledge the cooperation of the US and its support for the in-coming administration.
“The world has actually moved on, but you and Peter Obi are still standing on one spot. As usual, you and Peter Obi are depending on your usual bullying tactics to overwhelm the US and Blinken and cow them to toe your warped line of reasoning that has no evidential basis.
“Unfortunately for you, these are people and institutions that cannot be overwhelmed by your mob on social media. That system handled Trump and his tantrums. They can also handle you and Peter Obi.”