African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has questioned the eligibility of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, to contest the 2027 governorship election over an alleged oath of allegiance to the United States.
Rhodes-Vivour raised the issue on Tuesday while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, recalling the controversy surrounding Hamzat’s eligibility during the 2023 Lagos governorship election.
The former Labour Party candidate said the alleged US allegiance formed part of the grounds on which his legal team challenged Hamzat’s eligibility when he served as running mate to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“We focused on the fact that this current person that I want to contest for governor, deputy governor, swore an oath of allegiance to another country,” he said.
“Constitutionally, that is one of the number one reasons to dismiss a candidate or dismiss somebody that emerges as the governor.”
The controversy dates back to proceedings before the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in 2023, where US-based immigration lawyer Olubusayo Fasidi testified that Hamzat had applied for US naturalisation and taken an oath of allegiance.
Fasidi told the tribunal that she had been called to explain US immigration law and was not familiar with Nigeria’s constitutional provisions relating to dual citizenship. Her evidence was subsequently challenged by Hamzat’s legal team, while the tribunal later rejected her evidence on the issue.
Revisiting the matter, Rhodes-Vivour argued that a Nigerian public office holder should not owe allegiance to another country at the same time.
“You cannot swear an oath of allegiance to provide and to be there for that country in anything that you need, and then still be chief secretary of state of another country,” he said.
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Rhodes-Vivour also criticised the conduct of the 2023 Lagos governorship election, alleging that the exercise was characterised by violence and intimidation.
“I know in detail what happened across the state, across local governments. Now, I cannot accept an election that is not fair. I cannot accept an election that has had people wounded, beaten, stabbed, killed.”
He said Nigerians should choose leaders whose commitment is solely to the country, citing his own decision not to pursue citizenship in France, the United Kingdom or the United States despite having lived and studied abroad.
“I could have had a plan B for my life, aside from Nigeria. But I love Nigeria so much to have a plan B,” he said.
“That’s the only reason why I did not do that. I did not want to give myself any other option apart from Nigeria.”
The ADC candidate further referenced former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, arguing that Hamzat could have publicly renounced any alleged US allegiance before seeking public office.
“He could have gone and renounced that oath publicly and said just the way the former prime minister Boris Johnson did when he wanted to become prime minister, renounce his oath of allegiance to America or renounce his citizenship of America,” he added.
Hamzat, who is the APC governorship candidate for Lagos, has meanwhile received the backing of President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 governorship election.