A Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC Timi Frank, has accused the Nigerian presidency of trying to use a routine diplomatic correspondence between the country and United States as an endorsement of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Frank said that’s exactly what the administration is trying to do with the recent letter from President Donald Trump to President Tinubu, saying the administration should stop using the correspondence as an endorsement for the government by the US Leader.
The former APC spokesperson, in a statement issued on Thursday also challenged the Presidency to publish the letter from Trump, to determine whether it actually carries the Seal and signature of President Trump.
He said these details will determine whether the letter is indeed from President Trump, noting that anything short of this would make the purported letter very “dubious”.
His remarks comes on the heels of the Presidency’s claim that President Trump, in a recent letter acknowledged President Tinubu’s success in the fight against terrorism and insecurity in the country, which some officials in the government have described as a political endorsement from the US Leader, particularly against the backdrop of Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
The letter was said to have been sent on July 7 to the Nigerian president.
Reacting, Frank said there was nothing to indicate that President Trump has endorsed Tinubu, saying the US Leader only tried to acknowledged the collaboration between the two countries in the ongoing war on terror in the letter, wondering why the Presidency is trying to extract a political capital from it.
He said President Tinubu would not be searching for legitimacy and credibility from foreign leaders and the international community if it had “confidence in its credibility” and performance, describing the action as desperate.
“The letter only commended Nigeria for partnering with the United States in addressing insecurity. That is the only reason President Trump may have written it. It was not an endorsement of President Tinubu’s leadership, his economic policies or his administration. It did not say the Trump administration is backing President Tinubu or supporting him for any election in Nigeria. The Presidency is only trying to change the narrative by presenting it as something more than it is,” Frank said.
He stressed that President Tinubu shuld be bold enough to showcase to the world its achievement rather than hiding under President Trump’s letter, saying the US will not support a corrupt, tyrannical and election thieves which he said the Tinubu’s administration represents.
According to him, the US is only interested in efforts to address insecurity, protect election integrity and promote democratic values in Nigeria, which should not be mistaken for an endorsement of the Tinubu administration.
He said, “The United States will never support a government that is corrupt, cannot protect the lives of its citizens, or is tyrannical. America will always stand for democracy, election integrity and the protection of lives. Nigerians should not be deceived by the celebration of this ‘letter’. The United States remains committed to supporting efforts to address insecurity, protect election integrity and promote democratic values in Nigeria. That should not be mistaken for an endorsement of the Tinubu administration.”
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