By Danlami Nmodu
The United States Secretary of State,Mr John Kerry has arrived in Lagos for his much expected meeting with two frontline presidential candidates in next month’s general election.It is Mr Kerry’s first trip to Nigeria, he said upon arrival in Nigeria.
Kerry announced his arrival in Lagos on his twitter handle thus on Sunday : “Just landed in Lagos on first and very impt trip to #Nigeria”.
Asking reporters’ questions on Friday,Spokesperson for the US State Department, Ms Jen Psaki confirmed that “The Secretary will travel to Lagos, Nigeria – he also mentioned it in his remarks this morning – on January 25th, which is Sunday, to emphasize the importance of ensuring the upcoming elections are peaceful, nonviolent, and credible. The Secretary will meet with the candidates President Goodluck Jonathan and Major Buhari, Retired Major General Buhari, while he is there.
When asked if Kerry will meet 12 other candidates, Ms Psaki said “He’s meeting with two candidates, as I mentioned. He’s only going to be there a short period of time. But it’s not a situation where we’re hosting one candidate or another in our country or he’s meeting to support one candidate or another.”
