Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria, has welcomed the United States’ decision to impose visa bans on individuals found to be undermining democracy in the country.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the visa restrictions were being imposed on individuals complicit in undermining democracy during recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
Blinken emphasized that the bans were not targeted at the general population of Nigeria or its government, but were aimed at curbing corruption.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Abubakar praised the US for taking action and called on other established democracies to follow suit. He stated, “I welcome the United States visa ban on anti-democratic elements whose actions seek to undermine the 2023 elections in Nigeria.”
He went on to say, “I encourage other established democracies to follow suit to ensure that there’s no hiding place for the enemies of our democracy.”