Former lawmaker and human rights activist, Senator Shehu Sani, has condemned the alleged depiction of former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys, describing it as a racist insult to Black people.
Gatekeepers News reports that the controversial portrayal, which has been linked to US President Donald Trump, sparked outrage after it surfaced online.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Sani said the video was disrespectful and reflected deep-seated racism, adding that such conduct was unacceptable, regardless of political differences.
He noted that even with varying levels of development and political tensions across African nations, no African president would treat a predecessor with such contempt.
According to him, the incident also undermines the dignity and prestige of the office of the US presidency.
“To depict Obama and Michelle as monkeys is a racist insult to the whole of the Black race. Despite our ‘underdevelopment’ and political differences, no African president can treat his predecessor with such disdain, contempt, thuggery, and hatred,” Sani wrote.
He added:
“Historians will have a lot to write about the denigration of that esteemed office by ‘the leader of the free world’.”
