By Sunday Ani
The Peter Obi Support Network (POSN) has called on the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 25 presidential elections, and president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to urgently clear the air on the raging controversy about his dual citizenship.
A statement on Monday by FCC Onwuasoanya Jones of the group’s Directorate of Strategic Communications, a copy of which was made available to the Daily Sun, insisted that Tinubu who was controversially declared president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), must explain to Nigerians if he actually has a dual citizenship.
The call, according to the group, became imperative following a picture of the bio-page of a Guinea Conakry passport belonging to Tinubu, which has been trending on social media after an investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, shared a copy of it on his Twitter handle.
Mr. Jones noted that Tinubu’s alleged presidential mandate was at risk because the laws of the land are clear on the issue of dual citizenship.
Part of the statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to the bio-page of a Guinea Conakry passport belonging to Bola Tinubu, which has been trending online after popular journalist, David Hundeyin, shared a copy on his Twitter handle. The passport carried Tinubu’s image, and said it was issued in 2015, expiring five years later in October 2020.
“It is public knowledge how cordial the relationship between the Guinean President, Alhpa Conde, and Tinubu is. Tinubu had publicly claimed credit for helping Conde secure his re-election in October 2015.
“The allegation of dual citizenship by Tinubu has called for the need to investigate the former governor for perjury, as Section 56 of the Penal Code clearly states that whoever, being legally bound by an oath or by any express provision of law to state the truth or being bound by law to make declaration upon any subject, makes any statement, verbally or otherwise, which is false at a material particular and which he either knows or believes to be false or does not believe to be true, is said to give false evidence.”
The group noted that Tinubu did not disclose his Guinea citizenship in a document submitted to INEC for the recent presidential election in Nigeria, saying, “With the allegation of dual citizenship against him, it is very expedient for him to respond to the allegation because any political office holder with dual citizenship risks losing his mandate, according to the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Tinubu needs to come out as early as possible to clear the air on the allegation of dual citizenship, which puts his alleged presidential mandate controversially declared by the INEC at great risk.”