Some diplomatic blunders which occurred on June 12 reportedly marred the Democracy Day celebration in Abuja.
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.