ABUJA/Nigeria: In a recent revelation, the Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy (CRPA) has shed light on the reasons behind President Joe Biden’s decision to cancel a scheduled meeting with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu during the United Nations General Assembly session in New York last week.
According to a statement released by the CRPA in Abuja and signed by its coordinator, Ifeayi Okechukwu, the US State Department played a crucial role in this decision.
The CRPA statement, alleges that the State Department informed President Biden that a case challenging the authenticity of Tinubu’s university degree from Chicago State University was still pending in a US court in Chicago. The State Department reportedly cautioned Biden that the litigation could run counter to his interests. Okechukwu stated, “Information available to us indicates that the failure of Biden to meet with Tinubu was consequent upon the State Department advisory warning the US President to avoid Tinubu like a plague until the litigation on his election is concluded by the judiciary in Nigeria.”
Moreover, the CRPA claims to have received information suggesting inconsistencies between Tinubu’s records at the university and the records he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria. The statement asserts, “President Tinubu’s main rival in the February 25 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, is challenging the decision of INEC in declaring Tinubu winner of the election and has cited non-qualification of Tinubu based on forgery of documents as one of the grounds for his appeal.”
According to the CRPA, President Biden was advised to cancel his sideline meeting with Tinubu due to the inconsistent records in Tinubu’s Chicago State University file. A phone call that was arranged for Tinubu to speak with Biden was also canceled. The CRPA alleges that the State Department’s advice is to avoid Tinubu until his legal matters in Nigeria are resolved.
The Centre further suggests that President Tinubu, if not for diplomatic immunity, could face legal consequences in the United States for presenting allegedly fake or unapproved university documents. Under American laws, such actions could result in denial of entry or deportation. The CRPA speculates that the State Department’s reluctance to arrange the meeting between Biden and Tinubu stemmed from concerns about potential controversy during the General Assembly and a perception of aiding Tinubu in seeking protection from the law.
In response to these developments, the CRPA claims that President Tinubu promptly flew to France from New York to seek the support of French President Emmanuel Macron in addressing the legitimacy crisis facing his administration. The cancellations of both the meeting and phone call with President Biden occurred at the last minute, leaving lingering questions about the implications of these revelations for Tinubu’s presidency.
