A recent letter by President Donald Trump of the United States commending Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his decisive leadership against terrorism in the country, may have altered the political calculations of the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections, The Authority investigations revealed.
In the letter, Trump praised Tinubu for taking measures, “on behalf of the Nigerian people,” to stop the persecution of Christians, and to make “Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.”
This is the third time President Trump would be publicly commending his Nigerian counterpart, and his wife, in less than three months.
In mid-May, President Trump commended Nigerian forces for teaming up with US forces to eliminate Abu Bakr al-Mainuki (also known as Abubakar Al-Minok) and his lieutenants. Trump described Al- Minok as the second-in-command of ISIS globally and the “most active terrorist in the world”.
Three months earlier, in February, President Trump publicly praised Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, during the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. He recognized her as a “very respected woman” and acknowledged her faith leadership and pastoral background in Nigeria.
In June, AFRICOM Commander, Gen. Dagvin Anderson, publicly commended the Nigerian security forces following major joint counter-terrorism operations in northeastern Nigeria.
The Nigerian Presidency released Trump’s letter a day after it became public knowledge that a leading opposition presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, hired a US lobby group to share documents relating to a long-running US forfeiture case involving President Tinubu with top officials of the Trump administration.
However, in Trump’s letter to Tinubu, he noted that “it is a true honour to stand with you in the fight against these terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.”
Continued Trump, “I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people. I applaud your resolve to tackle the issues plaguing your nation, especially the violence affecting Christian communities and it is a true honor to stand with you in the fight against terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.
“The United States-Nigeria relationship is crucial at a time where conflict has spread across West Africa and around the world. We both share a mutual goal of confronting terrorism in all its forms, and our historic US-Nigeria 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap has established a robust framework to accomplish this feat.
“I am proud to have deployed the United States Special Operations Forces—among the most elite military units anywhere in the world—to equip the brave men and women in the Armed Forces of Nigeria with the skills, tools and intelligence they need to protect your homeland and ensure the safety and security of citizens, particularly those of faith who have been under attack.
“I look forward to our continued discussions over the course of my Presidency,” Trump stated.
Top officials of two opposition parties told The Authority that they were disturbed by what they called President Trump’s increasing support for the Tinubu administration.
Said a chieftain of the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), “Last year, we heard President Trump constantly talking down on the Nigerian government. He called Nigeria that ‘disgraced country’ several times. We were hoping to ride on the crest of the Trump opposition to the government in power.
“However, we are now disturbed, what with the confusing signals coming from Washington,” he regretted.
Another chieftain, of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), said they were planning to use the Trump administration to deal with Tinubu the same way the opposition used President Barrack Obama to oust President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
He lamented, “We are now confused in ADC. We don’t know what next to do next. All the issues we planned to use against the Tinubu government now seem to be overtaken by events.
“Is it insecurity, the economy or infrastructure. They even seem to be getting their foreign relations right. Maybe it is because of the appointment of an ambassador to the US, or the successes of the security agencies. Viewed anyhow, we in the opposition are in big trouble,” he lamented.
