US Broadcaster Refused First Lady’s Interview to Avoid “Covering Up Genocïde”

American broadcaster Tony Perkins, host of the show Washington Watch, has disclosed that he turned down a request from Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to discuss religious freedom on his platform. He stated he did not want his program to be used to obscure the situation in Nigeria.

Perkins made the revelation during a February 4 broadcast with U.S. Congressman Chris Smith, where they were discussing religious persecution. Congressman Smith was criticising the Tinubu administration for allegedly denying the killings of Christians while hiring American lobbyists to manage the narrative.

“The First Lady of Nigeria was here this week, and in fact, they wanted to come on the programme to talk about religious freedom, and I said, ‘I’m not gonna meet with them or have a meeting with anybody,'” Perkins stated.

The broadcaster added, “I’m not gonna give them a platform to cover up what they’re doing in Nigeria.”

The First Lady’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Peoples Gazette.

Senator Tinubu was in the United States and attended the National Prayer Breakfast last Thursday, where former President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged her presence. This gesture was celebrated by supporters of the Nigerian government as a diplomatic success amid ongoing pressure from Washington.

President Bola Tinubu has faced significant scrutiny from the U.S. government since November, when President Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over the alleged persecution of Christians.

The First Lady’s visit followed reports that President Tinubu’s administration had spent substantial sums on Republican lobbyists to improve its image in Washington after President Trump’s 2025 criticism, in which he called Nigeria “a disgrace” under Tinubu’s leadership.