United States officials have said they will closely monitor Nigeria’s January 2027 presidential election, with a senior State Department official warning that the exercise could trigger violence.
Naija News reports that Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia raised the concern in his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa during a Thursday hearing on violence in Nigeria.
Garcia listed the elections among the challenges facing efforts to tackle insecurity in the country.
“I am realistic about the challenges ahead. For example, Nigeria will hold presidential elections in January, which could spur violence,” he said.
He also cited Nigeria’s overstretched security architecture, the limited reach of the judiciary in the Middle Belt and scarce resources as major constraints.
Garcia’s warning came amid concerns over attacks on Christian communities and the Nigerian government’s response following the country’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern by President Donald Trump on October 31, 2025.
During the hearing, Congressman Riley Moore called for close scrutiny of the elections.
“We need to be watching these presidential elections like a hawk. And I’m gonna be watching them, and we all need to be watching them,” he said.
Responding, the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Riley Barnes, said the department already had a team monitoring the election.
“I’m glad you raised that. We’re also tracking them closely. We have a team that, in my bureau that focuses on elections, in many spots around the world, especially high-priority ones like this one. So we’re gonna be watching it very closely as well,” he said.
Garcia said the US was engaging Nigeria through a Joint Working Group set up after the CPC designation, with discussions centred on increased security deployments, prompt response to early warnings, accountability for perpetrators and stronger military cooperation.
He said Washington expected Nigeria to show measurable progress in tackling the violence, adding that the US would continue its diplomatic and security engagement with the country.
