Tension in Nigeria Over Trump Plan for 2027 Elections
A member of the United States Congress, Riley Moore, has said the U.S. government will closely monitor Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, stressing that both he and the administration of President Donald Trump will pay “very close attention” to how the polls are conducted.
Moore made the remarks in an interview now circulating online, where he addressed questions on Nigeria’s democratic process, concerns over corruption, and the role of the United States in supporting credible elections in Africa’s most populous nation.
His comments come amid growing political activities ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections, with opposition parties intensifying efforts to challenge the ruling administration while civil society groups continue to express concerns over electoral integrity and governance.
Asked whether the United States could do more to support free and fair elections in Nigeria beyond existing diplomatic engagements, Moore said Washington would be carefully watching the conduct and outcome of the polls.
“We’re certainly going to be watching these results and how these elections unfold and how they’re executed,” Moore said.
“That’s something that myself and the administration are going to be paying very close attention to.”
Beyond the elections, the U.S. lawmaker disclosed that Congress is advancing legislation containing provisions that could significantly shape future relations between Washington and Abuja.
According to him, although he is co-sponsoring a separate bill introduced by fellow Congressman Chris Smith, greater attention should be focused on the U.S. appropriations legislation covering foreign operations, national security and State Department programmes.
Moore said he personally inserted provisions relating to Nigeria into the bill, particularly on the persecution of Christians and conditions tied to future U.S. security assistance.
“There’s a lot of language that I put in that bill that relates to Nigeria, the persecution of Christians and restrictions on security assistance to the Government of Nigeria and steps that they have to take,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the legislation would become law, describing its provisions as “strong” and “aggressive.”
“That bill is likely to become law. We’re about to hopefully pass that here today,” he said.
“So there’s some pretty strong and aggressive language in that bill that’s going to be binding as it relates to our relationship with Nigeria moving forward.”
Moore further disclosed that he has continued discussions with the administration of President Donald Trump on issues concerning Nigeria and said the U.S. President shares similar concern
“I continue to work with the administration on next steps that we’re going to take,” he said.
“I’m actually going to see President Trump tonight. I’ll be having dinner with him and some other members. I continue to talk to him about these issues, and it’s very important to him.”
