Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that the exclusion of Nigeria by President Donald Trump administration from his meeting with five African leaders, is neither a diplomatic oversight nor a scheduling error, but a verdict — scathing in symbolism and staggering in implication.
Atiku, in a statement by Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communications to the former Vice President, said the exclusion is a verdict on Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chaotic presidency, his divisive chairmanship of ECOWAS, and the complete evaporation of Nigeria’s diplomatic relevance.
President Trump will on July 9, 2025, host five African leaders that include Gabon, Guinea-Bisau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal at the White House to discuss “commercial opportunities”.
He noted that Nigeria, the continent’s most populous nation, the Giant of Africa which had an economy of $500bn and was among the world’s five fastest growing economies before the “cancer” called the All Progressives Congress inflicted this blessed nation.
Atiku said; “How do we explain it? Tinubu inherited an ECOWAS of 15 member states and left it gasping for breath with three countries pulling out and 40% of its land mass gone.
“Once Africa’s diplomatic compass — the nation that gave weight to regional consensus and global negotiations — Nigeria has now become an afterthought. Ignored. Sidelined. Stripped of influence. While others are summoned to negotiate Africa’s future, Nigeria is not even in the room.
“And while our Foreign Direct Investment has plunged to historic lows, Tinubu’s men lounge in St. Lucia, sipping champagne in the face of national decline.
“South Africa is negotiating trade frameworks with Washington. Nigeria is invisible.
“And let’s now kill the lie that’s been allowed to linger for too long: Gilbert Chagoury is not a Trump ally. He does not hold the keys to the White House. He has no diplomatic leverage in the Trump administration, having been listed as one of the major donors to the Clinton foundation.
“The illusion of his influence has collapsed under the weight of reality. Nigeria wagered its international standing on a mirage — and lost,” he said.
Atiku further said that as chair of ECOWAS, Tinubu did not build bridges; he burnt them, stressing that his erratic, self-serving approach fractured regional cooperation, turning Nigeria into a polarizing force rather than a rallying point.
In the words of Atiku; “From Giant of Africa to diplomatic ghost — Tinubu has finished the job. He has squandered our legacy, diluted our stature, and silenced our voice on the world stage.
“This isn’t just an embarrassment. It is a disgrace — a resounding declaration that Nigeria, under this administration, has lost its way.
“But let it be known: we will not mourn in silence. We will not be complicit in our own erasure.
“Well, we are glad that the coalition through the ADC is here to rescue Nigeria from these urban bandits. The damage is deep — but so is our resolve. And the mission to reclaim Nigeria’s honour has already begun.
“History may not be kind to this government. But history will remember who stood up to end it,” he said.
