The United States embassy in Nigeria has said the alleged list of Nigerians issued visa ban is fake. Continue Reading>>>
The US embassy in Nigeria said the viral list did not emanate from it, adding that individual visa records are confidential, according to its law, BBC News Pidgin reported.
US visa ban: The purported list
A staunch supporter of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, @PeterObiUSA, tweeted an alleged ‘exclusive’, claiming it contained the list of names submitted by the Nigerian American Coalition for Justice and Democracy (NACJD) to the State Department during the Monday, April 3, 2023, White House and US Congress protest in Washington DC, USA. Continue Reading>>>
The Twitter user, on Monday, May 15, posted ‘key election rigging enablers’ to include Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello; and the chairman of Lagos State Parks and Garages (LASPG), Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly called MC Oluomo.
That particular tweet by @PeterObiUSA has garnered over half a million views, as well as 2,000+ retweets.
The US embassy in Nigeria has, however, dismissed the list.
Breaking News 🗞️ Alert 🚨:
USA 🇺🇸 VISA BAN LIST!
Exclusive to @PeterObiUSA , List of Names of Election Riggers in Nigeria 🇳🇬 2023 General Election 🗳️.
N/B: this are the list of names submitted by Nigerian American Coalition for Justice and Democracy (NACJD) to the State… pic.twitter.com/8uFTs1LWtP— Stephen_Save Nigeria Group USA🇺🇸🇳🇬 (@PeterObiUSA) May 15, 2023
Popular activist challenges US to name those placed under visa ban
Reacting to the development, activist and the Chief Executive of Connected Development, Hamzat Lawal, urged the US to publish the names of those it imposed a visa ban on for electoral offences.
While speaking on Channels TV on Monday, May 15, Lawal pointed out that there were expectations that the Nigerian police, as the apex law enforcement agency, would have prosecuted those who interfered in the electoral process or put them behind bars.
US visa ban on some Nigerians
Legit.ng earlier reported that the US Government said it had taken steps to impose visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria for undermining the democratic process during Nigeria’s 2023 elections cycle.
This was made known in a statement by the Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, on Monday, May 15, published on the US government’s website.
The Chief Executive of Connected Development Hamzat Lawal urges the US to publish the names of those it imposed a visa ban on for electoral offences.#CTVTweets#PoliticsToday pic.twitter.com/1xtUelYI4e
— Channels Television (@channelstv) May 15, 2023
The US government disclosed that the decision to impose visa restrictions reflects the continued commitment of America to support Nigerian aspirations to strengthen democracy and the rule of law.
FFK blasts US over visa ban
Legit.ng also reported that a former aviation minister in Nigeria, Femi Fani-Kayode, accused the US of “double standards, neo-colonialism and pseudo-imperialism”.
Writing on his verified Twitter handle on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, FFK, as he is fondly called, asked the Nigerian government to reciprocate and consider imposing visa bans on persons who disrupted their country’s elections over the last 25 years.
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