Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
A Twitter user @PeterObiUSA posted a list of names allegedly tagging them election riggers in the 2023 general election.
Breaking News 🗞️ Alert 🚨:
USA 🇺🇸 VISA BAN LIST!
Exclusive to @PeterObiUSA , List of Names of Election Riggers in Nigeria 🇳🇬 2023 General Election 🗳️.
N/B: this are the list of names submitted by Nigerian American Coalition for Justice and Democracy (NACJD) to the State… pic.twitter.com/8uFTs1LWtP— Stephen_Save Nigeria Group USA🇺🇸🇳🇬 (@PeterObiUSA) May 15, 2023
According to the user, the list of names was submitted by the Nigerian American Coalition for Justice and Democracy (NACJD) to the State Department during the April 3rd 2023 protest at White House and US Congress in Washington DC.
Reacting to the news of the visa restrictions placed on some Nigerians who undermined the 2023 elections by the United States of America (USA), the user said: “This Visa Ban is just the first step and also more significantly confirms to the global community that the Nigerian 2023 General Elections Were rigged and Bola Tinubu has lost all Global acceptance and Legitimacy. The world has now taken side with the Nigerian people”
Furthermore the user went on to add more details of the protest in a follow up tweet.
Checks by FactCheckElections on the report here and here announcing the visa restrictions showed that the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who made the announced the visa restrictions said that the United States “have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria for undermining the democratic process during Nigeria’s 2023 elections cycle.”
According to him the restrictions are only specific to certain individuals and not directed at Nigerians or the Government of Nigeria as a whole.
“Under Section 212(a)(3)C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, these individuals will be subject to restrictions on visas to the United States under a policy covering those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy. These individuals have been involved in intimidation of voters through threats and physical violence, the manipulation of vote results, and other activity that undermines Nigeria’s democratic process.” He noted.
However, like the previous ban, Blinken failed to mention the names of the affected individuals.
Conclusion
From the foregoing, FactCheckElections can establish that the list of names posted by the Twitter user was just a recommendation to the United States. Moreover, the United States did not mention the names of those affected by the visa restriction in its announcement.
Therefore, we advise that you should be mindful of any list you come across claiming to be the names of those who have been placed on visa ban by the United States.