The United States Government has said it had imposed visa restrictions on Nigerians involved in undermining democracy during the November 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa states elections and in the run-up to the September and October 2020 Edo and Ondo states elections.
This was revealed in a press release by spokesperson for the Department of State, Morgan Ortagus, on Monday, Sept. 15th, 2020. It stated that Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, imposed the visa restriction on these individuals due to their conduct in the run-up to the poll.
However, the US Government did not mention names or the number of people affected by the visa restrictions .
The statement further revealed that the additional visa restrictions were imposed on those individuals to reflect the Department of State’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to realise its expressed commitment to end corruption and strengthen democracy, accountability, and respect for human rights.
The US condemned the acts of violence, intimidation, or corruption that harmed Nigerians and undermined the democratic process and urged all stakeholders including the Independent National Electoral Commission, the political parties, and the security services, to uphold the tenets of democracy and facilitate genuinely free and fair elections, conducted in an appropriately transparent and non-violent manner, as the Edo and Ondo off-cycle elections draw near.
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