The Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has said the United States military action in Venezuela that led to the removal of President Nicolás Maduro was morally justified, arguing that her stance is shaped by her personal experience growing up under military rule in Nigeria.
Okay News reports that Badenoch made the remarks during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, where she described the US intervention as “extraordinary” but said she understood why such decisive action was taken against what she called a “gangster state.”
According to Badenoch, although there may still be questions surrounding the legal certainty of the operation, the moral argument was clear.
“Where the legal certainty is not yet clear, morally, I do think it was the right thing to do,” she said. “I grew up under a military dictatorship, so I know what it’s like to have someone like Maduro in charge.”
Badenoch, who was born in the United Kingdom in 1980, spent much of her early life in Nigeria, returning to Britain at the age of 16 in 1996. Her childhood coincided with a period of political instability and authoritarian rule in the country.
During that time, Shehu Shagari governed as a civilian president from 1980 to 1983, before being ousted by a military coup that brought Muhammadu Buhari to power from 1983 to 1985.
He was followed by Ibrahim Babangida, who ruled from 1985 until 1993. A short-lived civilian government led by Ernest Shonekan came next, before Sani Abacha seized power later in 1993, ruling until his death in 1998.
Drawing parallels with Venezuela, Badenoch said such environments demonstrate how authoritarian leaders entrench themselves, often at the expense of citizens’ freedoms and democratic institutions.
Maduro, who has ruled Venezuela since 2013, was sworn in last January for a third six-year term following disputed elections that were widely criticised by opposition figures and international observers.
His government has repeatedly been accused of corruption, repression, and links to organised crime.
