Lukman Olabiyi
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) have given a thumbs up to the United States of America over its intention to impose visa restrictions on Nigerians who undermined the democratic process in the country during the 2019 general elections.
US Department of State spokesman Morgan Ortagus disclosed this in Washingtom in a statement on Tuesday, explaining that the visa restrictions would affect Nigerians believed to be responsible for undermining democracy in Nigeria.
Ortagus in the statement stated that the affected individuals, who were not identified, operated with impunity at the expense of Nigerians and undermined democratic principles and human rights.
Those affected include individuals indicted for electoral violence, rigging and other anti-democratic activities before, during and after the 2019 elections.
Reacting to the US declaration on Wednesday, SERAP through its Twitter account applauded the development, noting that the action would go a long way in curbing future occurrences of such acts.
The NGO also urged the US to obtain a full list of looters of Nigeria’s treasury from the Federal Government, and ban anyone whose name appears on the list from entering America, in line with thebPresidential Proclamation of 2004.
RULAAC, in a statement by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, on the US position on election malpractice also applauded the development.
“Electoral violence and corruption impede the development of a country’s electoral systems and national development and progress. People who engage in electoral malpractices and corruption should be treated as criminals, saboteurs and pariahs. They are not to be indulged but appropriately sanctioned for deterrence. That is the message the US government has loudly and clearly sent out to Nigerian authorities and people. It is left for Nigerian politicians to learn a lesson from this,” the statement read.