By Ismail Auwal
The US Government has said it does not have a preferred candidate in Nigeria’s general election.
the United States consul general,Will Stevens, in a town hall meeting organised by the Niger-Delta Open Observatory (NOGO), in Asaba, the capital of Delta, on Saturday 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.”
It could be recalled that in 2020, the US said it imposed visa restrictions on some individuals for their actions during the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.
