A United States Immigration lawyer, Mrs Olubusayo Fasidi, on Thursday, June 22, told the Lagos State Election Petition Tribunal that Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat took an oath of allegiance in the U.S. to renounce his Nigerian citizenship.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party are challenging the emergence of Sanwo-Olu as the winner of the March 18 governorship election in Lagos state
Fasidi, a Nigerian, was led in evidence by Dr Olumide Ayeni (SAN), counsel to the petitioner, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party.
According to the witness, Hamzat, the third respondent in the petition, also applied for naturalization as contained in Forms 8CFR/337 and N400.
Ayeni tendered the documents to the three-man tribunal which was objected to by counsel to all the respondents, saying that the reason for their objection would be included in their final written addresses
Counsel to Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mr Eric Ogiegor, during cross-examination of the witness, said that an individual could enjoy dual citizenship. She, however, said that she was not aware of the provision of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution that dealt with dual citizenship.
While presenting her testimony in court, Fasidi said that she was subpoenaed before the tribunal to explain U.S. law and not Nigeria’s Constitution.
Counsel to Hamzat and the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Bode Olanipekun, asked the witness to disclose the jurisdiction and date Hamzat applied for naturalisation but she said she would not, because the information was protected by Privacy Act of 1974. The All Progressives Congress (APC) counsel, Norris Quakers, asked the witness if she was aware that Hamzat disclosed his American citizenship.
The witness replied in the affirmative, and Quakers thereafter argued that the witness addressed issues of law and not those of facts.
The tribunal led by Justice Arum Ashom, while admitting all the documents in evidence, ordered counsel to the respondents to include their objections in their final written addresses.
The other members of the tribunal include: Justice Mikail Abdullahi and Justice l.P. Braimoh.
Earlier, Ayeni presented result sheet from polling units in nine local government areas of the state to establish differences in some areas, against what is recorded on INEC’s Form EC 40A. Counsel to INEC, Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat and APC objected to the admissibility of the Form EC 40A, reserving reasons until their final written addresses.
Meanwhile, the tribunal adjourned the case until June 26 for continuation of the hearing.
