U.S. President Biden yet to congratulate President-elect Tinubu

Two weeks after winning the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, is yet to receive an official congratulations from United States President Joe Biden.

It is said that any nation considered an ally to America and a new leader is elected, the US President extends a congratulatory message to the declared winner.

Recall that his predecessor, Barack Obama, congratulated Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 on the same day that the country’s Independent National Election Commission (INEC) pronounced him the winner.

This has raised concerns two weeks after Tinubu's victory and Joe Biden still remained silent.

In May 2022, Biden made a telephone call to Philippine then president-elect Ferdinando Marcos Jr to congratulate him. The details of the call were also published on the White House website.

The U.S. president also sent a congratulatory message to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who emerged winner of the presidential election in Brazil in October 2022, the message was published on the White House website.

However, when Tinubu was declared winner, Ned Price, U.S. Department of State spokesperson, congratulated him on behalf of the foreign government. He also pointed out that many Nigerians were frustrated with the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC’s electoral process.

Mr Price urged the aggrieved candidates to challenge Tinubu’s victory in court.

The silence of Biden towards Nigeria’s president-elect may seem to disapprove with the electoral process that elected him.

Shortly after the election was conducted, the European Union Observers said the election process lacked transparency.

The British think-tank, Chatham House, in their preliminary findings said violence and irregularities tainted the presidential polls.