Clinton said he cancelled visit to Nigeria because it would have been politicised by the parties

FORMER US president Bill Clinton has revealed that he cancelled his plan trip to Nigeria this week because he does not want it to be used for political purposes ahead of Saturday's presidential elections.

Earlier this week, President Clinton had been due to visit Abuja alongside Commonwealth general secretary Baroness Patricia Scotland. Their trip had been facilitated by the Kofi Annan Foundation and the National Peace Committee (NPC) and while in Nigeria, President Clinton had been scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at a ceremony for the signing of a peace accord among the presidential candidates.

However, with the political temperature rising over the last week, President Clinton has decided to scrap the tip, saying he does not want his visit to be politicised. Over the last week, there has been a lot of commentary on the role of international observers and election monitors, with Kaduna State's Governor Nasir El-Rufai warning that they will be sent away in body bags if they interfere in the process.

Also, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has hit out at Stuart Symington, the US ambassador to Nigeria, saying he has already tried to discredit the elections before they have taken place. APC campaign spokesman Festus Keyamo, has accused Mr Symington of threatening that his country would punish any politician who makes inciting political speeches.

Mr Keyamo described the diplomats' views directed at Nigeria's forthcoming elections as unwarranted and an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of Nigeria. He also accused the US of being guilty of double standard for granting former vice president and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar special status to enter its territory.

Amid the heightened tension, President Clinton has decided to postpone his visit but added that he would continue to support the NPC 's work towards holding peaceful and fair elections in Nigeria. Angel Ureña, President Clinton's spokesperson, said, however, that he would speak with both President Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Abubakar later this week.

Ms Ureña said: "Over the course of the last several days and after various conversations with the different stakeholders, it has become apparent that President Clinton's visit to Nigeria has the potential to be politicised in a way that is not in line with the goals of the committee. Therefore, he will not be travelling to Abuja.

"This is a crucial time in Nigeria and President Clinton is hopeful that the election's outcome reflects the will of the Nigerian people."

It had been hoped that President Clinton's visit would have helped ease tensions and prevent any violence. Earlier this year, the NPC had reached out to President Clinton and others to ensure peaceful elections and a non-violent transfer of power during the polls.