News
Governor Sanwo-Olu to Be Fired? US Lawyer Testifies at a Tribunal.
Governor Sanwo-Olu to Be Fired? US Lawyer Testifies at a Tribunal.
- The Labour Party (LP) and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the gubernatorial candidate of the party for Lagos State in the 2023 gubernatorial election, are challenging Sanwo-Olu’s victory in court.
- The governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, faces a stiff battle to keep his ‘mandate.
- This is because his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, had allegedly pledged his allegiance to the United States (US) and had reportedly renounced his Nigerian citizenship.
There is an attempt to sack Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State through an election petition tribunal because Obafemi Hamzat, the Lagos deputy governor, had pledged allegiance to the United States (US) and had renounced his Nigerian citizenship.
NewsReport learned that people who acquire American citizenship are made to swear an oath of allegiance. A U.S. Immigration lawyer, Olubusayo Fasidi, has claimed Lagos deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, took an oath of allegiance to renounce Nigerian citizenship.
Hamzat’s alleged abdication of Nigerian citizenship may badly affect Sanwo-Olu.
The American Oath of Allegiance reads in part: “I declare on oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the USA”.
On Thursday, June 22, Olubusayo Fasidi, an immigration lawyer in the US, testified before the Lagos state election petition tribunal, The Cable reported.
Fasidi appeared before the tribunal and was led in evidence by Olumide Ayeni, counsel to Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the March 2023 election, as Premium Times also reported. Rhodes-
Vivour is challenging the victory of Governor Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, Hamzat, at the Saturday, March 18 governorship election.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Governor Sanwo-Olu
While admitting the documents tendered, the tribunal led by Arum Ashom, the judge, ordered counsel to the respondents to include their objections in their final written addresses.
Governor Sanwo-Olu to Be Fired? US Lawyer Testifies at a Tribunal.
Subsequently, the case was adjourned to Monday, June 26, for the continuation of the hearing.
complications in the matter. Reacting to the development, a journalist, Eniola Akinkuotu, pointed out a complication in the matter.
Akinkuotu said the new attempt to sack Hamzat is not new, adding that the fresh case involving the Lagos deputy governor may end up at the Supreme Court.
He wrote on his known Twitter handle on Friday, June 23: “On July 31, 2019, a tribunal sacked Hon. Ikengboju Gboluga, a member of the PDP representing Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency of Ondo.
“Hon. Gboluga was sacked for having dual citizenship. The Tribunal ordered that Albert Akintoye of the APC be issued a Certificate of Return.
This was a landmark judgement. “As head of investigations at PUNCH at the time, I began compiling a list of others who could lose their seats because they hold dual citizenship.
Nearly a quarter of the National Assembly had dual citizenship, including Senate President Lawan, Speaker Gbaja, the Deputy Senate President, Omo Agege, etc.
This meant that all of them could have been sacked. The matter got to the Appeal Court courtesy of Wole Olanipekun, SAN. He won. The judgement was upheld, and Gboluga was reinstated.
But It never got to the Supreme Court. “This new case involving Hamzat is poetic as it’s Olanipekun’s son that’s representing him. It could finally settle this matter at the Supreme Court.”
