APC USA requests US House testimony to challenge Nigeria CPC designation, citing security complexities and progress under President Tinubu
The United States chapter of the All Progressives Congress has requested to testify before the US House Subcommittee on Africa today regarding former President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged religious persecution.
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In a letter to Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Chris Smith, APC USA said it is prepared to send a high-level delegation to provide what it describes as “firsthand intelligence and verifiable data” on Nigeria’s security realities.
APC USA Chairman Prof. Tai Balofin said the testimony aims to clarify misconceptions surrounding the country’s challenges.
“We support religious freedom for all Nigerians, but narratives abroad often fail to reflect the full complexity of the crisis,” Balofin said.
“The insecurity in Nigeria is driven by banditry, resource conflict, climate pressures and transnational crime—not solely by religious persecution. Congress deserves the complete picture before reaching conclusions.”
Balofin also highlighted progress under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including advances in degrading terrorist networks, improving early-warning systems, and strengthening interfaith engagement, citing reports from Nigerian authorities and international monitors.
The APC USA delegation intends to recommend deeper US–Nigeria cooperation on security, intelligence sharing, and humanitarian support. “Chairman Chris Smith has long championed human rights and religious liberty,” Balofin added.
We respectfully ask him to grant APC USA the opportunity to contribute to a fair, accurate and solution-driven discussion.”
The request comes shortly after Nigeria criticised the United States for excluding it from a UN event hosted by American rapper Nicki Minaj, which focused on alleged killings of Nigerians from a particular faith group.
Nigeria’s chargé d’affaires to the UN, Syndoph Endoni, condemned the exclusion, calling it “shaving our head in our absence” and warning that unilateral actions could worsen tensions.
The US House Subcommittee on Africa will meet at 11 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building to debate Nigeria’s CPC redesignation.
The hearing will be broadcast live. Witnesses expected include senior US State Department officials, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, and Oge Onubogu of the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
Trump’s redesignation, announced on October 31, 2025, claimed Christians in Nigeria face severe persecution and threatened the suspension of US aid or military intervention if Nigeria failed to act.
President Bola Tinubu rejected the claims, stressing that Nigeria remains a constitutional democracy that guarantees religious freedom.
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The hearing’s outcome could influence future US–Nigeria relations, depending on whether lawmakers uphold or challenge the CPC designation.
