A member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, has said the administration of President Donald Trump will closely monitor how Nigeria conducts its 2027 general elections.
Moore, a Republican representing West Virginia, made the remarks during an interview with NoireTV published on the platform’s social media pages on Sunday while responding to questions about Nigeria’s next general election.
Speaking on whether the United States could do more to support credible elections in Nigeria, the congressman stressed that Washington would be paying close attention to the electoral process.
“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 also disclosed that the US House of Representatives was considering an appropriations bill containing provisions affecting Nigeria, particularly on issues relating to religious freedom and US security assistance.
“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,” Moore said.
According to the lawmaker, the proposed appropriations bill contains provisions that could significantly shape future relations between the United States and Nigeria.
“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,” he added.
Moore further stated that he would continue discussions with the Trump administration on developments concerning Nigeria, revealing that he was scheduled to meet with the US president.
“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, so yeah, I continue to talk to him about these issues, and it’s very important to him,” he said.
The congressman is a co-sponsor of the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, introduced alongside Congressman Chris Smith in February.
If passed, the proposed legislation would require the US Secretary of State to submit regular reports to Congress detailing efforts to address religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.
The bill also calls for assessments of Nigeria’s compliance with international religious freedom obligations, reviews of US security assistance and sanctions, evaluations of humanitarian support, and measures taken by Nigerian authorities to protect vulnerable communities and prosecute those responsible for attacks.
