Nigeria’s 2027 elections will be closely monitored by Trump Administration, says U.S. Lawmaker Riley Moore

An official in the US Congress, Riley Moore, has stated that the US government would be keeping an eye on the upcoming general elections in Nigeria in 2027, stating clearly that he and the administration under President Donald Trump would be keeping a very “close watch” on how the process would take place.

Moore said this in an interview doing rounds on the internet wherein he talked about the democracy in Nigeria, its issues of corruption and how the United States can play a pivotal role in ensuring credible elections in the most populated country in Africa.

These statements come amid increased political activities in the build-up to the general elections of 2027 with opposition groups stepping up their anti-government activities while civil society groups raise red flags regarding election integrity and governance.

Regarding US role in Nigeria’s election process, Moore noted that the United States would be watching the manner in which the elections would be conducted.

“We’re certainly going to be watching these results and how these elections unfold and how they’re executed.

“That’s something that myself and the administration are going to be paying very close attention to,” he said.

Moore also disclosed that the U.S. Congress is advancing legislation that could influence future relations between Washington and Abuja.

According to him, although he is co-sponsoring a separate bill introduced by Congressman Chris Smith, he believes greater attention should be given to the U.S. appropriations legislation covering foreign operations, national security and State Department programmes.

He said he personally inserted provisions relating to Nigeria into the bill, focusing 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,” Moore stated.

The lawmaker expressed optimism that the legislation would eventually 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.

“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,” he added.

Moore further revealed that he has maintained discussions with President Trump’s administration on issues concerning Nigeria, saying the U.S. President shares similar concerns.

“I continue to work with the administration on next steps that we’re going to take.

“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,” he said.