U.S. Visa Ban: Kogi Deputy Gov Reacts To List Of ‘Affected Politicians’
The Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Edward Onoja, has reacted to a purported list of Nigerian politicians banned from entering the United States for their alleged involvement in electoral misconduct during the last Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, had on Monday announced that the American government had imposed visa restriction on some unnamed politicians involved in electoral malpractices during the governorship elections that held in November 2019.
Advertisement
Pompeo said the U.S. had also extended the visa ban to some politicians whose recent actions are capable of undermining the forthcoming Edo and Ondo governorship polls.
“In July 2019, we announced the imposition of visa restrictions on Nigerians who undermined the February and March 2019 elections,” Pompeo had said, adding that, “Today, the Secretary of State is imposing additional visa restrictions on individuals for their actions surrounding the November 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa State elections and in the run-up to the September and October 2020 Edo and Ondo State elections.”
Following the pronouncement, a popular Nigerian online newspaper, not THE WHISTLER, had published the names of politicians allegedly affected by the U.S. visa ban.
The report mentioned the former governor of Edo State and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, among those affected by the sanction.
Advertisement
But Kogi Deputy governor, Onoja, refuted the report, saying the U.S. did not mention the names of those affected by the visa ban.
Onoja was responding to a member of the opposition in the state, Austin Okai, who had taunted him over the report.
He said in a tweet, ”…Austin Okai, always looking for consolation where there is no hope. See you hyper excited over Saharareporters’ fake news. Where did the US Embassy call anybody name? Or be shaking a table you are standing on? How can you see a post on visa restriction for electoral malpractice and you cannot imagine that those of you from the party which fielded a candidate whose slogan was “ Akpala Agenda” after shooting themselves up at their Primaries in Lokoja Stadium are first on that table? Abi brain dey pain you?”
