Former US President Bill Clinton who was scheduled to visit the capital of the Nation, Abuja, this week has canceled his trip ahead of Saturday’s general elections, saying the visit could be “politicized”. He was to be accompanied by the Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland.
The planned trip was facilitated by the Kofi Annan Foundation and the National Peace Committee (NPC). The announcement was made by Angel Urena, the spokesman to Clinton. The statement read thus, “Over the course of the last several days, and after various conversations with the different stakeholders, it’s become apparent that President Clinton’s visit to Nigeria has the potential to be politicized in a way that is not in line with the goals of the Committee. Therefore, he will not be traveling to Abuja,”
Clinton has promised to continue to support the NPC and he is very intrested in the peace of Nigeria and hopes the election be fair. Clinton will speak later this week with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is standing for re-election, and his main challenger, Atiku Abubakar.
Mr Clinton had been set to deliver a keynote speech at a ceremony for the signing of a peace accord by presidential candidates. The NPC in an earlier statement announcing Clinton’s visit said it reached out to him and others to ensure peaceful elections and a non-violent transfer of power in the West African nation.
