The United States has advised Nigeria against postponing the general elections scheduled for next month.
The US Secretary of
State, Mr. John Kerry, gave the advice after he met the candidates of the
Peoples Democratic Party, President Goodluck Jonathan and All Progressives
Congress Maj. Gen. Muhamadu Buhari (retd.) in Lagos on Sunday.
Kerry said that the US
would deny entry visa to any Nigerian politician responsible for fomenting
violence during the February elections.
He urged the Federal
Government not to postpone the elections as being canvassed by the National
Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
The secretary of state
said, “Given the stakes, it’s absolutely critical that these elections are
conducted peacefully.”
Kerry was in Nigeria to
urge the political class to respect the outcome of the February 14 presidential
election.
He explained that Washington
was concerned that post-election violence could undermine the stability of
Nigeria and hamper the fight against terrorism.
It will be recalled
that three days of rioting trailed the 2011 general elections which saw Buhari
losing to Jonathan.
Kerry said, “Nobody
gains by violence, nobody gains by turning a political disagreement into a
killing spree … The proof will be in the actions that are taken in the course
of the election and afterwards.
“Anyone who
participates in, plans or calls for violence against the civilian population
must be held accountable, including by ineligibility for an American visa.
Perpetrators of such violence would not be welcome in the US.”
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