Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
U.S. Senator says “it is disappointing to see” Biden “rush to embrace… deeply flawed” Nigerian election results
As Nigerians, election observers and members of the diplomatic corps continue to debate the decision of the U.S Department of State to congratulate and refer to the candidate of the ruling APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “President-elect”, U.S Republican Senator Jim Risch (of Idaho) has released the following statement on Nigeria’s recent elections:
“The ongoing electoral process in Nigeria is widely viewed as deeply flawed by election observers and many Nigerians. It is disappointing to see the administration rush to embrace the result while the full picture of what occurred during this electoral process is yet to be seen.
“I’ve expressed similar concerns related to other areas of our relationship with the Nigerian government. I worry this rush to judgement will undermine our ability to be an effective partner to all Nigerians, especially given their longstanding desire for democracy.
“With Nigeria heading into state-level elections in just a few days, it is important that the United States be more concerned with supporting the Nigerian people and their democratic aspirations than embracing the Nigerian government.”
Risch, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the statement on March 2, 2023.
See related USAfricaonline.com reporting and commentary on this issue.
