By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Okey Samuel Mbonu, has commended the United States for introducing the Visa ban policy against election offenders in Nigeria.
In a statement by his senior media adviser, Charles Adeyinka, Mbonu said the policy was a welcome development.
Mbonu made the comment while congratulating the people of Edo State, and Godwin Obaseki on what he describes as a milestone free and fair gubernatorial election held on September 19.
“This election may signal the potential beginning of sanity in the electoral process in Nigeria. If the electoral umpires and the various parties can go a step further, by sanitizing the internal democratic nomination process of the parties, then Nigeria would have started a steady climb to political stability,” he said.
Mbonu hailed the United States, for its new visa ban policy, on persons who perpetrate electoral rigging, instigate electoral violence, and corrupt the political process in Nigeria.
He said the policy was apt and that he would lead the efforts with other new-generation leaders to bring election riggers, corrupt officials, and other violent intimidators to the attention of influential countries, including the US, EU, UK, and UAE, where corrupt Nigerian officials run to hide their loot, after stealing resources meant for public use in Nigeria.
“2023 will be the ultimate test, as to whether Nigeria finally moves to credible elections, or whether the country will be classified a failed state.”
“The practice where ex-officials will steal massive resources meant for their states, buy their way through the courts, and then use their loot to run for higher office in Nigeria must be brought to a halt, via policies like the Visa Ban,” he said.
He added that other countries besides the United States, where these culprits bring their extended families for luxury living, medical tourism, and invest stolen loot, must follow suit.
“No one with an active criminal case should be contemplating running for any office in Nigeria in 2023,” he said.