US Senator Cautions White House On Nigerian Polls

The senator representing Idaho in the United States, Jim Risch, has asked the Joe Biden-led government to exercise restraint in embracing the just concluded presidential elections in Nigeria.

The ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a statement said, “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.”

The ongoing electoral process in Nigeria is widely viewed as deeply flawed by election observers and many Nigerians, Mr Risch said.

On Wednesday, US Department of State spokesperson, Ned Price, congratulated Nigeria’s president-elect, Bola Tinubu, and all political leaders on the results of the presidential election.

He, however, acknowledged that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted and the shortcomings of technical elements that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle.

Mr Risch added that he had expressed similar concerns in other areas of US-Nigeria relations.

“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,” he said.

With Nigeria heading into gubernatorial elections by 11 March, the senator asked the US to be more concerned with supporting the Nigerian people and their democratic aspirations than embracing the Nigerian government.

(Leadership)