Risch, a ranking member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Friday said the rush by the US government to accept Nigeria’s election results could be damaging.
By Jeffrey Agbo
US Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) has warned that the Biden administration should not have been too quick to congratulate Bola Tinubu on winning the presidential election in Nigeria following allegations of irregularities.
The United States on Wednesday congratulated Tinubu while calling for calm amid allegations of voter fraud and concerns over technical glitches.
“The United States congratulates the people of Nigeria, president-elect Tinubu and all the political leaders,” State Department spokesman, Ned Price, had said.
“This competitive election represents a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy,” he added.
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However, Risch, a ranking member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Friday released a statement on Nigeria’s elections, saying the rush by the US government to accept the results could be damaging.
His statement reads, “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.”