President Bola Tinubu has received support from Bashir Ahmad, a former adviser to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, about the reported postponement of French President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit to Nigeria prior to the 2027 presidential election.
According to Ahmad, Tinubu made the right choice when he expressed concern that Macron’s visit might lead to accusations of foreign meddling in Nigeria’s election process.
On Friday, he made the statement in a post on X.
Three months prior to the Nigerian presidential election, Mr. Tinubu reportedly voiced fear that Mr. Macron’s visit might lead to charges of foreign influence. That’s a wise move, Ahmad wrote.
The statement came after the Premium Times revealed that Macron had postponed his state visit to Nigeria, which was originally planned for Wednesday, October 28, due to worries over the upcoming presidential election in Nigeria, protests in France, and a fresh Ebola case.
The newspaper reported that Macron and Tinubu decided to postpone the trip on Thursday, according to Nigerian sources acquainted with the scheduled meeting.
According to reports, Macron was worried that visiting Nigeria during the recent riots in France, which had led to school closures, looting, and altercations between protesters and security personnel, would be interpreted as callous.
Tinubu is running for reelection in Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, which is months ahead of the rumoured cancellation.