•US President Trump and President Buhari
The Donald Trump Administration has moved against those it believed played negative roles in the conduct of Nigeria’s 2019 general elections.
The US State Department on Tuesday announced visa restrictions on Nigerians who were involved in trying to or undermined democracy in the presidential and National Assembly elections.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari won a second term in office in February in an election characterised by logistical problems, violence and killings.
Sundiata Post also recalls that in the heat of the elections Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, had said foreign observers who interfered in the election would go back to their countries “body bags”. The statement drew national and international condemnation.
The State Department, however, did not mention individuals involved or say how many were affected by the visa ban, but it clearly pointed out that it was for those who undermined the process.
Morgan Ortagus, spokeswoman of the department said: “These individuals have operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and undermined democratic principles and human rights.
“The Department of State emphasises that the actions announced today are specific to certain individuals and not directed at the Nigerian people or the newly elected government,” Ortagus added. (News Express)