Presidency accuses U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of colluding with IPOB to incite unrest

The Nigerian government has launched a fierce counter-attack against U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, accusing him of accepting bribes and colluding with the proscribed secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to incite unrest in Nigeria.

The allegations were made by Temitope Ajayi, Special Assistant on New Media to President Bola Tinubu.

He vehemently rejected Senator Cruz’s claims of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, stating the lawmaker is acting as “an IPOB agent” to destabilize the West African nation.

Ajayi’s comments were a direct response to proposed legislation from Cruz that seeks to impose severe sanctions on Nigerian officials who support blasphemy and Sharia laws.

The presidential aide alleged a financial motive behind the senator’s actions, pointing to official U.S. election filings.

He claimed that Elias Gerasoulis, identified as a lobbyist for the Biafra cause, paid nearly $20,000 to Senator Cruz’s campaign.

Ajayi framed this as a payment to promote a false narrative of Christian killings in Nigeria.

According to Ajayi, this new strategy emerged because IPOB’s violent activities in Nigeria’s South-East have failed to gain international sympathy as a legitimate self-determination movement.

He accused Biafra lobbyists of now “hiding under religious persecution” to rally American evangelical Christians and supporters of former President Donald Trump.

The clash escalated last week when Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and even threatened a military invasion over the alleged targeted killings of Christians—claims President Tinubu has strongly denied.

The situation has ignited a war of words, with supporters of both leaders accusing the other side of spreading misinformation and propaganda.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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