If the dual citizenship of Tinubu turns out to be accurate, a charge of perjury also looms since in his form INEC EC-9 — application for the presidency —, he told INEC that he never obtained citizenship of another country.
By Ishaya Ibrahim
President-Elect, Bola Tinubu, faces a case of perjury if a recent revelation about his acquisition of Guinean citizenship turns out to be true.
Investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, had published what he said was Tinubu’s Guinea-Conakry diplomatic passport.
Media aides to Tinubu, including Femi Fani-Kayode, Bayo Onanuga, Dele Alake, and others, have kept mute over the alleged Guinea Conakry citizenship of their principal, even though the subject is the biggest trending topic on Twitter since Saturday, April 15.
Tinubu has been known to have ties with the President of Guinea Conakry, Alpha Conde.
In 2019, the Daily Independent newspaper reported that the Guinean President visited President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina State, to lobby that his friend, Tinubu, be given the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for 2023.
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Tinubu has since gotten the ticket of the APC and won the election, although being disputed by his rivals, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.
Section 25-27 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution allows dual citizenship for a presidential contender. But the same constitution in Section 137 (1)(a) forbids the prospect for that office to acquire the citizenship of another country. The section reads: “A person will not be qualified to be president if he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria.”
For instance, Bukola Saraki was dragged to court over dual citizenship. It turns out that Saraki’s dual citizenship emanates from his being born in the UK.
In the case of Tinubu’s alleged Guinean diplomatic passport, he was not born in that country.
Minister of Works, Fashola, has tried to dismiss the claim that dual citizenship could disqualify Tinubu.
“I know he carries a Nigerian passport. I don’t know about dual citizenship. I know he resided abroad when he went into exile, but I don’t know if they gave him American citizenship. What does that have to do with the results of the election? The last time I checked, I think the Nigerian constitution allows you to have dual citizenship. Doesn’t it?” stated Fashola, a former Lagos governor, on Channels TV Sunday.
If the dual citizenship of Tinubu turns out to be accurate, a charge of perjury also looms since in his form INEC EC-9 — application for the presidency —, he told INEC that he never obtained citizenship of another country.
Tinubu ticked “NO” in response to “Have you voluntarily acquired citizenship of any other country.”