Is Buhari Afraid Of A Biden Presidency?

By Emmanuel Adigwe

The Africa Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal, Joe Parkinson, says President Buhari is not at ease with the victory of Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, in the just-concluded US presidential election.

GWG writes that Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America if President Trump fails to stop him in the Supreme Court as he had promised to do.

However, Joe Parkinson, took to his Twitter account on Sunday saying that President  Buhari and the federal authorities are not too comfortable about a Biden presidency.

Parkinson stated that Barack Obama and Biden, who were U.S. President and Vice President endorsed Buhari ahead of the 2015 election but it appears the days of romance are over as Biden condemned the recent shooting of Lekki protesters by soldiers.

According to Parkinson, Buhari was one of the first African leaders to congratulate Biden but he did it privately because some of his key advisors were thinking Trump will carry the day.

 “The reasons are quite simple and are linked – human rights, the #EndSARS protests, and weapon sales,” he tweeted.

Talking about the image showing Buhari and Biden, he wrote: “This photo 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.”

According to Parkinson, in the meetings, President Obama had  promised President Buhari of fresh military aid to fight the war and find the Chibok girls terrorists kidnapped.

According to the journalist, America stopped giving Nigeria the necessary support because of human rights concerns under President Buhari.

Parkinson stated that it was during the Trump’s administration that America agreed to sell Super Tucanos for $600million and later, attack helicopters which Nigeria has long believed will be instrumental in the fight against Boko Haram.

He stated: “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.”

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