I Do Not Believe Law Disqualifies Dual Citizens, Fashola Defends Tinubu’s Victory Despite Claims Regarding a Guinean Passport

As pictures of what appeared to be a Guinean passport with Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, as its bearer were extensively circulated online over the weekend, the former governor of Lagos State offered his opinion.

The constitutional limitations on a presidential candidate with dual citizenship from running for office have drawn criticism from Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing.

Given that pictures of what appeared to be a Guinean passport with Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, as its bearer were extensively circulated online over the weekend, the former governor of Lagos State offered his opinion.

Tinubu’s alleged dual citizenship infuriated internet users, especially those who opposed his election as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

During his live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Fashola, a former chief of staff to Tinubu, remarked, “I know he carries a Nigerian passport; I don’t know about dual citizenship.”

“I am aware that when he went into exile, he lived abroad. I’m not sure if they granted him citizenship there. What connection does that have to the election results? I believe the constitution of Nigeria allows for dual citizenship as of the most recent time I looked.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), when asked if the quoted clauses apply to presidential candidates, said he would need to review the constitution to determine the nuances of its provision on the subject.

“I’ll investigate. If you were born to Nigerian parents, it is ‘place of birth. I’ll verify it, but I suspect that because the constitution of Nigeria permits dual citizenship, having it makes you ineligible for certain rights,” he continued.

A person is not eligible for election to the office of president if, “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 another country,” states Section 137(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In accordance with Section 28(1) of the constitution, “a person shall forfeit forthwith his Nigerian citizenship if, not being a citizen of Nigeria by birth, he acquires or retains the citizenship or nationality of a country other than Nigeria, of which he is not a citizen by birth.”

“Any registration of a person as a citizen of Nigeria or the grant of a certificate of naturalization to a person who, at the time of such registration or grant, is a citizen of a country other than Nigeria shall, if he is not a citizen by birth of that other country, be conditional upon effective renunciation of the citizenship or nationality of that other country within a period of not more than five months from the date of such registration or grant.”