Fashola’s Reaction to Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Dual Citizenship Outcry

A former Governor of Lagos State and the current Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has clarified issues relating to the citizenship of the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a one-on-one television interview with Channels TV, Fashola reacted to various questions on ranging from ethnic profiling to the person of his former principal whom he served as a Chief of Staff.

In the early hours of Sunday, pictures of a passport accredited to Bola Tinubu had surfaced online indicating he has dual citizenship which the laws of Nigeria doesn’t permit for anyone to run for the position of a president.

The anchor, Seun, wondered why here had been so many controversies about the man Bola Ahmed Tinubu from his age to education, background and name then the dual citizenship that popped up as triggered by David Hundeyin, an investigative journalist.

Fashola however claimed that all these controversies made the man interesting. He then claimed with the victory of the president-elect, Nigerians have claimed that all those issues does not matter.

For him, every time it got more difficult for Tinubu, that’s usually his path to success. There has not been an easy way or deal for him.

Recalling what transpired when Tinubu was first to be governor in 1999, the Lagos State Governor Emeritus said:

For 3 days after the primaries, we couldn’t find the state party chairman, the returning officer and Lagos was in suspense for 3 days until they found the returning officer.

Fashola however believe there may be a divine connection between Tinubu’s ordeals which could be the turning point for Nigeria as well.

Governance is not about sainthood, it is about efficiency, performance, it is about delivery.

Whether Tinubu has a dual citizenship, Fashola could not clarify but rather confirm that he (Tinubu) carries the Nigerian passport, he further said

…I know he resident abroad when he went on exile, I don’t know if they gave him American Citizenship. What does that have to do with the results of the elections?

The last time I checked, I think the Nigerian constitution allows you to have dual citizenship, isn’t it?

On this, Seun then refer him to check the constitution for an informed decision in respect of being a president before Fashola went to argue that it was rather for the place of birth but relaxed his conversation to check and confirm his claims.

I doubt that the Nigerian constitution makes you dis-entitled if you have dual citizenship because the constitution allows you to have dual citizenship.

See how Fashola spoke on the matter on Channels TV in the video below: