Empowered Newswire reported US government sources saying on Tuesday that President Obama would send a stronger than usual delegation to the inauguration and was considering who might lead the American representatives at the event.
Besides, at least two US ivy universities – Harvard and Yale, have since held special review sessions, where scholars were invited from around the US and the world to give lectures and seminars on the outcome of the Nigerian elections, focusing on the emergence of a former military head of state, Muhammadu Buhari.
Three names are already being mentioned in official US and diplomatic circles, including the American First Lady, Michelle Obama; Vice President Joe Biden and the Secretary of State, John Kerry, as the head of the presidential delegation.
From the US Congress also, some of the senior members were said to be planning to attend the event, including the chairman of the US House of Representatives Sub Committee on Africa, Congressman Chris Smith and many more members.
According to Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US, Professor Ade Adefuye, “I have been told that there would be an ‘unusually large’ American delegation that will attend the presidential inauguration on May 29.”
He confirmed to journalists that he had also been told that a very senior member of US government is expected to lead the delegation, but no confirmation had been made yet.
The Nigerian ambassador said he had been in consultations with the US State Department on the issue, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan had already extended an invitation to the US government.
“We are following up with the US government to ensure a very large US presence at the inauguration,” the ambassador said on Tuesday morning in Washington DC.
Adefuye said “Nigeria’s profile has been on the rise since after the election, the concession by Jonathan and with the smooth transition that is going on.”
Source: Tribune
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