The presidency has denied reports that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa disregarded Nigerian President Bola Tinubu during the inauguration ceremony for his second term on Wednesday in Johannesburg.
The Special Advisor on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, refuted the allegations by releasing photos of Ramaphosa and Tinubu shaking hands at the South African event.
Recall that on Tuesday, President Tinubu left Nigeria for South Africa to attend President Ramaphosa’s inauguration for a second term. However, shortly after the event, which took place on Wednesday, some opposition figures claimed on social media that the Nigerian leader was humiliated, disregarded, and placed in the second row of dignitaries during the inauguration ceremony.
In retaliation, Onanuga posted pictures of Tinubu and Ramaphosa from the occasion on the X platform. In a another tweet, he underlined that all international dignitaries began to sit in the second row during the occasion, and that this also occurred for Tinubu’s inauguration in 2023.
“Composite photos show Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and President Cyril Ramaphosa during the inaugural ceremony on June 19, 2024,” the author claimed. Additionally, Ramaphosa meets President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria.
The presidency had previously chastised activist Aisha Yesufu for her claims that President Tinubu was disregarded in South Africa.
The spat started when Yesufu claimed on Twitter that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ignored President Tinubu at a gathering celebrating his reelection.
In the rejoinder, O’tega Ogra, President Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on New Media, accused Yesufu of acting more out of “crass ignorance” and of exploiting his acts to garner attention on social media than to engage in meaningful dialogue.