The United Kingdom has said 10 Nigerians are on its Visa ban watchlist, following their inciting comments, during the country’s just concluded general election.
The UK government also condemned a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Femi Fani-Kayode, over his controversial comments during the elections.
In an interview with Nigeria Info FM, on Sunday, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, lashed the APC presidential campaign council’s director for new media, for his derogatory remarks.
Fani-Kayode had earlier been invited for questioning by the Department of State Services, DSS, for alleging the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, had a meeting with Army Generals before the elections.
Mr Llewellyn-Jones noted, “Yes, let’s be specific, there were some people, like Femi Fani-Kayode, what is he saying and why is he saying it? I don’t understand.
“It is wrong from my perspective that he will speak on behalf of a party and that party does not distance itself from him and say stop doing that. It is wrong to say that”
However, Llewellyn-Jones restated that the UK government will issue visa bans to people undermining democracy.
“There are about 10 persons already on the watchlist.
“We are working through our list but we don’t publish those names. I know people say we should, but we have laws, and the law prevents us from doing that.
“At the moment the list is between 5 and 10 and it is growing,” he added.