THE United States has announced that it is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria who have been involved in undermining the democratic process during Nigeria’s 2023 elections. The visa restrictions are in accordance with Section 212(a)(3)C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows for restrictions on individuals believed to be responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy, the State Department, which did not name specific individuals, said in a statement on it’s website on Monday.
‘Today, I am announcing that we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria for undermining the democratic process during Nigeria’s 2023 elections cycle. These actions are specific to certain individuals and are not directed at the Nigerian people or the Government of Nigeria as a whole,’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
The February 25 presidential election, which resulted in the declaration of Bola Tinubu as the president-elect from the ruling All Progressives Congress party, is now being contested in court. Atiku Abubakar from the People’s Democratic Party and Peter Obi from the Labour Party have filed legal challenges disputing the election results.