A member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, has disclosed that President Donald Trump’s administration will closely observe the conduct of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Moore, a Republican representing West Virginia, made the statement during an interview with NoireTV published on the platform’s social media channels on Sunday while discussing Nigeria’s forthcoming elections.
Responding to a question on whether the United States could play a greater role in supporting credible elections in Nigeria, the congressman said Washington would be paying close attention to how the electoral process is conducted.
“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.
The lawmaker also revealed that the US House of Representatives is considering an appropriations bill containing provisions relating to Nigeria, particularly concerning religious freedom and American security assistance to the country.
“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,” he stated.
According to Moore, the proposed legislation contains several measures that could influence future diplomatic and security relations between Nigeria and the United States.
“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 disclosed that he intends to continue discussions with the Trump administration regarding developments in Nigeria, noting 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 one of the co-sponsors of the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, a bill introduced in February alongside Congressman Chris Smith.
If enacted, the legislation would require the US Secretary of State to submit periodic reports to Congress outlining efforts to address religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.
The proposed law also seeks regular assessments of Nigeria’s compliance with international religious freedom obligations, reviews of US security assistance and sanctions, evaluations of humanitarian interventions, as well as reports on measures taken by Nigerian authorities to protect vulnerable communities and prosecute perpetrators of violent attacks.
