ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Astha Rajvanshi, a staff writer for Time 100, is said to be a under attack by some Nigerian on social media for including the President-elect, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu on the latest Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
It was gathered that Rajvanshi locked her Twitter account, an action which was believed to be connected with criticisms she has received for listing Tinubu among the influential persons.
Voiceofnaija.ng had earlier reported that in the latest edition of Time Magazine published on Thursday, 13 April, 2023, the famous American Magazine described Tinubu’s victory at the just-concluded presidential polls as an uneasy feat to attain.
According to the publication: “Winning an election in Africa’s most populous country is no easy feat. But Nigeria’s newly elected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has had nearly two decades to prepare.”
The magazine also acknowledged Tinubu in the publication as one of the pioneers of Nigeria’s liberation from the military and its dictatorial leadership style before the advent of democracy in 1999.
Also, the Time Magazine reflected on Tinubu’s gallantness to win an election with three strong contenders for the first time in Nigeria’s 23 years of democracy.
After the publication, Rajvanshi was said to have received a bombardment of denigration on social media for the article she wrote about Tinubu, which painted his role as a “longtime political power broker” and his efforts in helping to restore Nigeria’s democracy in 1999.
Many Nigerian Twitter users, who are believed to be mostly supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, known as ‘Obidients’ lambasted the writer for decorating Tinubu’s contentious political career, which includes allegations of corruption and drug case in the United States, among others.
Tinubu’s addition to the Time 100 list has also been disparaged by some Nigerian youths, who argued that he did not merit the credit, following the ongoing controversies surrounding his election victory and his apparent role in the country’s economic woes.
Meanwhile, the former Governor of Lagos State, Tinubu was declared the winner of the 2023 presidential polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as he contested under the flagship of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
He polled 8,794,726 votes to decimate Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 6,984,520 votes, while the Labour Party, Peter Obi, settled for third place after polling 6,101,533 votes.