‘Pathetic colonial mentality’, Keyamo slams Chimamanda over letter to Biden

By Biodun Busari 

Spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo has said the letter written by Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie to the United States President Joe Biden over alleged irregularities of the 2023 elections only “reflects a pathetic colonial mentality.” 

In an open letter titled ‘Nigeria’s Hollow Democracy’ published in The Atlantic, Adichie berated both Biden and his counterpart in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for congratulating President-elect Bola Tinubu after winning the presidential election in February. 

In the long letter, the award-winning author of best-selling Purple Hibiscus alleged that the presidential election was bedevilled with discrepancies and irregularities which she faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for turning a blind eye to. 

Adichie asked Biden to uphold his position on the need for a true democracy, adding that congratulating Tinubu who was “hastily” declared as president-elect taints America’s self-proclaimed dedication to democratic processes.

Reacting to the letter in a statement on Friday, Keyamo described the letter as “worthless”, adding that it, “Such only paints the picture of a band of drowning supporters clutching at any straw to stay afloat.”

Keyamo, the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, said in global diplomatic relations, presidents make decisions and take actions about other countries’ affairs “based on reports from official and diplomatic sources likely to have been conveyed through well-established channels of communications”. 

In the statement titled, Nigeria’s Burgeoning (Not Hollow) Democracy, the minister 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,” Keyamo said.

“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 has 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!”