LAGOS, Nigeria – Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Nigeria’s president-elect, finds himself at the centre of controversy as allegations of holding dual citizenship surface.
A picture of the bio-page of a Guinea Conakry passport belonging to Mr Tinubu has surfaced online after popular influencer David Hundeyin shared a copy on his Twitter handle.
This revelation could have severe implications for his political career, as dual citizenship disqualifies a Nigerian from the office of president, which Bola Tinubu contested and was declared the winner of the February 25, 2023 election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to an anonymous source who sent to passport to The Trent early in April, 2023, the Guinea Conakry passport was discovered during a routine investigation into the financial assets of Nigerian politicians.
The source claims to have verified the passport’s authenticity, raising questions about Tinubu’s eligibility to hold public office in Nigeria.
Messages sent by The Trent to Tinubu’s media office for comments have not been replied.
Legal experts weigh in on the potential consequences of the revelation should it be proven true.
The Nigerian Constitution, Chapter 6, Part 1, Section 137 clearly states:
- A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of the president if -(a) subject to the provisions of section 28 of this Constitution, he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria or, except in such cases as may be prescribed by the National Assembly, he has made a declaration of allegiance to such other country.
“If it is established that Mr. Tinubu indeed holds dual citizenship, he could face disqualification from holding public office, including his aspirations for the presidency,” says prominent criminologist and human rights activist Emeka Umeagbalasi.
This revelation also raises another legal bottleneck for Tinubu. He could be accused of purgery as the forms he submitted to INEC under oath show that he did not declare any foreign citizenship on the form.
On Tinubu's INEC EC9 declaration, he stated that he has not obtained any other citizenship.
But he has Guinean citizenship, with his Guinean passport stating clearly that he was born in Nigeria – which means he obtained Guinean citizenship.
This is perjury. Lying under oath. pic.twitter.com/Kh1vXkcrB2
— David Hundeyin (@DavidHundeyin) April 16, 2023
That's another way. Perjury is a crime, but will the Police prosecute? Worth trying.
First, we've to ascertain the authenticity of the document and certified that it is genuine.
Two, do a criminal complaint to the police stating that the crime of perjury – lying on oath – has https://t.co/lzaIq0c0x1— Dr Great Oracle (@AbdulMahmud01) April 16, 2023
