No entry visa for politicians who don’t respect polls, John Kerry warns

29th Jan 2015 In his visit to Lagos ahead of next month’s polls, The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry has advised Nigeria against postponing the general elections which are expected to happen on the fourteenth of February. The secretary of state’s visit was to urge politicians and the electorate to respect the outcome of the presidential election.

Mr. Kerry gave the advice after a meeting with the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress , President Goodluck Jonathan and Muhamadu Buhari.

Kerry said that the US would deny entry visas to any Nigerian politician responsible for fomenting violence during the February elections. He urged politicians to be peaceful and shun violence in the country to ensure stability, saying that a lot was at stake, and so peaceful elections are highly critical.

He is quoted as saying, “Nobody gains by violence, nobody gains by turning a political disagreement into a killing spree, the proof will be in the actions that are taken in the course of the election and afterwards. “Anyone who participates in, plans or calls for violence against the civilian population must be held accountable, including by ineligibility for an American visa. Perpetrators of such violence would not be welcome in the US.”

John Kerry also gave his assurances that America is still interested and committed to helping Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram.