The US government says it does not have a preferred
candidate in Nigeria’s general election.
Will Stevens, the United States consul general, said this in
a town hall meeting organised by the Niger-Delta Open Observatory (NOGO), in
Asaba, the capital of Delta, on Saturday.
Stevens also warned that the US government would deny visas
to anyone who encourages electoral violence, adding that “when Nigerians come
to vote, it shows the strength of democracy to the rest of the world”.
“The US does not have a preferred candidate, full stop! We are not interested in a particular party or candidate. What we are interested in is free, fair, and credible elections that represent the people,” Stevens said.
“These elections are
important. Nigeria is the fifth largest democracy in the world; so, when the
people of Nigeria come to vote, they are showing the strength of democracy to
the rest of the world.
“We in the United States will discourage any politicians,
citizens, or other parties who are encouraging electoral violence or seeking to
undermine the electoral process.”
In 2020, the US said it imposed visa restrictions on some
individuals for their actions during the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship
elections.
Mike Pompeo, the then secretary of state, said actions had
also been taken against some persons in the run-up to the September and October
2020 governorship elections in Edo and Ondo.
“One thing we have done in the past and continue to do is
that those who seek to undermine the democratic process can and will be found
ineligible for a visa to the US,” Pompei had said at the time.
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