How Diplomatic Blunders Marred June 12, Democracy Day

World leaders and the visiting head of governments were on Thursday snubbed by the hosts of Nigeria‘s June 12 Democracy Day Celebrations, President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-president Yemi Osibanjo.

At the lacklustre event, dignitaries and heads of government were made to arrive the venue ahead of President Buhari and VP Osibanjo.

Leaders such as Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Macky Sall of Senegal who arrived early were received by illegally operating service chiefs with expired tenures.

The humiliation was however solidified when APC henchmen such as Buba Marwa (favored by the first lady, Aisha Buhari to become Secretary to the government), Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the state government, APC chieftain Bisi Akande, Bola Ahmed Tinubu among others were offered front seats while Presidents of Niger Republic, Mauritania, and Namibia among others, were seated on back rows seats, alongside personal Aides of the President and Vice President.

The diplomatic blunder did not start on Thursday, June 12.

It started when the Presidential Inauguration Committee despatched invitations through the various national embassies in Abuja before an abrupt decision was taken to withdraw the invitations extended to foreign leaders to attend the Inauguration ceremony. 

A fresh invitation was thereafter despatched, inviting them to attend the June 12 celebrations, an event with no diplomatic significance.

The event was bereft of spectacular displays or meaningful activity which warranted the assembly of world leaders and diplomats was visibly ignored by all former Nigerian head of state including Gen. Yakubu Gowon who was the sole former Nigerian leader to attend the May 29 inauguration.

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