Tinubu: ‘Worthless’ – Festus Keyamo Knocks Chimamanda Over Letter to Biden

Festus Keyamo, spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, has reacted to the open letter of Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, to United State President, Joe Biden, over the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.

The literary icon had on Thursday argued that the presidential election was imperiled not by technical shortcomings but by deliberate manipulation.

Adichie, in the open letter, also berated the United States Department for congratulating the outcome of a flawed electoral process, despite its stance on “global community for democracy, and the need to stand up for “justice and the rule of law.

She alleged in the letter that the Independent National Electoral Commission chairman, Mahmood Yakubu may have been compromised by the All Progressive Congress, (APC) flag bearer, Bola Tinubu, a person according to the novelist, a lot Nigerians call “a “drug baron” because, he forfeited to the United States government $460,000 of his income that a Chicago court determined to be proceeds from heroin trafficking.”

However,  Keyamo in a statement titled ‘Nigerian’s Burgeoning (not hollow) Democracy’ lashed at Chimamanda, saying the letter does not fall within diplomatic sources.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment expressed disappointment at how the renowned author degraded herself by penning a petty letter, stressing the letter reflects a pathetic colonial mentality.

Speaking further, Keyamo said the letter is worthless and would be trashed into the bin by the secretary of the US government as it would be treated as ‘Trump reincarnates’ in Nigeria.

He said: “Long epistles written in flowery or purple prose by bitter supporters of sore losers, posing as ‘concerned citizens’ (but in reality actuated by ethnic politics) do not fall within these official or diplomatic sources. It is befuddling that someone often celebrated for using a God-given talent to promote our African values, will so tragically degrade that same ethos by penning a letter that is so petty, so grovelling in its tone in urging a single foreign power to withhold a mere congratulatory message to our President-elect as if that is what actually validates our own democratic identity. It reflects a pathetic colonial mentality.

“It is even more ironic to realise that the same foreign power to which the obsequious appeal is directed is still grappling with the credibility of its own internal democratic process that produced its present leadership. More tragic is that some rabid supporters here are falling over themselves in deluded ecstasy for such a worthless letter that may not even be considered worthy enough, in a diplomatic sense, for the attention of even a stenographer to an Under Secretary in the US.

“Such only paints the picture of a band of drowning supporters clutching at any straw to stay afloat. As for the empirical fallacies contained in the letter, I will not bother myself here with a lengthy response as enough have been said in the last few weeks in respect of those specific issues and all the issues are before our Justices awaiting adjudication.

“But I have bad news for them: the stenographer will probably toss the letter into a trash bin with the conclusion that it is no more than the tantrums of a Trump reincarnate in Nigeria – those who refuse to accept obvious defeat! Yes, the US has the likes of that writer in their midst too!”