By Teddy Nwanunobi
A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has hinted that President Donald Trump’s administration will closely monitor Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
“What I’d say is that we’re certainly going to be watching these results and how these elections unfold and how they’re executed. And that’s something that myself and the administration are going to be paying very close attention to,” Moore said.
Moore stated this in an interview with NoireTV, published on social media on Saturday, in response to a question about whether the US government will ensure Nigeria’s election is credible.
Moore, who was among a US fact-finding delegation to Nigeria on alleged Christian genocide, also spoke about a bill he is co-sponsoring with another lawmaker, targeted at restricting security assistance to Nigeria unless certain criteria are met.
“We’re working on Chris (Smith)’s bill, which obviously I’m a co-sponsor of that bill. But I’d say, more importantly, what people need to pay attention to is the appropriations bill that we’re going to have on the floor today.
“There’s a lot of language that I put on that bill that’s inside of it that relates to Nigeria and the persecution of Christians and restrictions on security assistance to the government of Nigeria, and steps that they have to take.
“That bill’s likely to become law. We’re about to, hopefully, pass that here today. And so there’s some pretty strong and aggressive language in that bill that’s going to be binding as it relates to our relationship to Nigeria moving forward,” Moore added.
Moore is a co-sponsor of the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, introduced alongside Congressman Chris Smith in February.
The proposed legislation seeks to require the US Secretary of State to submit periodic reports to Congress on efforts to address religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.
The Smith-Moore bill proposes assessments of Nigeria’s compliance with international religious freedom obligations, US security assistance, sanctions, humanitarian support, and measures taken by the Nigerian government to protect vulnerable communities and prosecute perpetrators of attacks.
The US House Appropriations Committee in April 2026 passed provisions in its annual State Department funding bill that impose stricter oversight and conditions on financial assistance to Nigeria.
The bill, forwarded to Congress for consideration, stipulates that 50 per cent of funds earmarked for Nigeria under foreign assistance titles will be withheld until it is certified that the government is taking “effective steps” to curb religious violence.
It also demands that funds must support investigations and prosecutions of violence committed by Fulani militia groups.
It further states that the government must facilitate the safe return of displaced persons.