Following Nigeria’s presidential elections dated February 25th, 2023, the candidate of the All progressives Congress; Bola Ahmed Tinubu was finally declared winner of the rigorous electoral process that spanned days on the early hours of the first day of March.
The results of the electoral process has been the subject of heavy criticism by citizens of Nigeria, opposing parties and international bodies showing resentment for the apparent 'flawed' and 'doctored' electoral process.
Admist all of the ruckus, a spokesperson for the US State Department commended Nigeria on Tinubu’s victory, the same day the President-elect was declared the winner, while calling for 'calm' amid accusations of voter fraud and concerns over technical glitches.
According to him, many Nigerians had voiced their feelings of frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted and the dared shortcomings of technical elements that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle.
Award-winning Nigerian writer and activist Chimamanda Adichie has recently reacted to the United state's congratulatory message to a "deliberately manipulated" electoral process and ultimately it's result.
The writer in a fit of bewilderment and subtle rage criticised the United state's open 'congratulations'.
Chimamanda, in an open letter to US President Joe Biden published in The Atlantic on Thursday, expressed shock that the US went on to describe the process as a “competitive election†that “represents a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy.â€
American intelligence “surely cannot be so ineptâ€, she argued.
"A little homework and they would know what is manifestly obvious to me and so many others: The process was imperiled not by technical shortcomings but by deliberate manipulation."
“It seemed truly perplexing that, in the context of a closely contested election in a low-trust society, the electoral commission would ignore so many glaring red flags in its rush to announce a winner.
“(It had the power to pause vote counting, to investigate irregularities—as it would do in the governorship elections two weeks later.),†she added