President Muhammadu Buhari was one of the first African presidents to congratulate US President-elect Joe Biden but his key officials were hoping for a Donald Trump win, Joe Parkinson, Africa Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal, has said.
Parkinson stated this in a Twitter thread on Sunday morning, hinging the officals’ stance on Trump’s readiness to work with Nigeria on fighting insurgency in the North East.
Recall that Buhari conveyed his congratulatory message to Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu on Saturday.
He said that Biden’s election came “at a time of uncertainty and fear in world affairs.”
The Nigerian leader said “your election is a significant reminder that democracy is the best form of government because it offers the people the opportunity to change their government by peaceful means.”
According to President Buhari, “the most powerful group are not the politicians, but voters who can decide the fate of the politicians at the polling booth.”
In the statement, Buhari said he looked forward to greater cooperation with the United States.
President Buhari also noted that, “with your election, we look forward to greater cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, especially at economic, diplomatic and political levels, including the war against terrorism.”
On international affairs, President Buhari urged Mr. Biden to “deploy your vast experience in tackling the negative consequences of nationalist politics on world affairs which have created divisions, conflicts and uncertainties.”
Quoting Buhari’s statement shared on Twitter, Parkinson said, “Nigeria’s president was one of the first African leaders to congratulate Biden but privately, some of his key advisors were hoping for a Trump victory and are worried. The reasons are quite simple and are linked — human rights, the #EndSARS protests, and weapon sales.
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“This photo (top of story) was taken in Washington in 2015 when Buhari was toast of the town—the old General’s “new broom” would sweep away corruption and (far more important to US) beat back Boko Haram. It was Biden who actually greeted Buhari at the White House that day before he met Obama.
“In those meetings Obama promised the Nigerians a bunch of fresh military aid to fight the war & find the Chibok girls (some was made public, much of it not). BUT the US stopped short of giving the Nigerians what they really wanted—attack aircraft—because of human rights concerns.
“It was the Trump administration—considerably less bothered by human rights issues—who agreed to sell Super Tucanos for $600m and later, attack helicopters, that Nigeria has long hoped would be the game changer in the fight against Boko Haram.
That sale—while mostly paid for—is not yet complete. Ironically, senior State Department officials were staying at the Abuja Hilton in October to finalise the details while #EndSARS protesters were on the streets in Nigerian cities. And therein lies the problem for Buhari…
“The Biden campaign released a statement two days before the Trump administration after the military crackdown at Lekki toll gate. It went much further, saying “The US must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully demonstrating.”
“The heady days of 2015 when Buhari was seen by Obama & Biden as the man who would fight a quick and victorious war against Boko Haram are long gone. The war has metastasised. Northeast Nigeria has become the base of one of Islamic State’s most successful regional franchises—ISWAP.
“So… President Biden may be much less welcoming to Buhari; much more skeptical about selling weapons to Nigeria’s military and much more forthright in criticising any crackdown on protests. That’s why, despite the tweets, some at the top of the Buhari administration are nervous.”