Obafemi Hamzat, the deputy governor of Lagos, allegedly swore an oath of loyalty to renounce his Nigerian citizenship in the United States, according to Olubusayo Fasidi, a U.S. immigration lawyer, on Thursday.
Fasidi, a Nigerian, reportedly provided testimony before the Lagos State Election Petition Tribunal, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Dr. Olumide Ayeni (SAN), the petitioner's attorney and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party, introduced her as a witness.
The witness testified before the tribunal that Hamzat, the third respondent to the petition, likewise submitted Forms 8CFR/337 and N400 requesting naturalization.
The materials were presented by Ayeni before the three-man tribunal, but the counsel for each respondent objected, stating that their defense would be contained in their final written addresses.
An individual could possess dual citizenship, the witness claimed during cross-examination by Mr. Eric Ogiegor, Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
She claimed, nonetheless, that she was subpoenaed before the tribunal to explain U.S. law and not Nigeria's 1999 Constitution because she was not aware of the clause dealing with dual citizenship in that document.
The witness was urged by Mr. Bode Olanipekun (SAN), the attorney representing Hamzat and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to provide the location and day that Hamzat submitted his application for naturalization. However, she refused, stating that the Privacy Act of 1974 protected that information.
Mr. Norris Quakers, the attorney for the All Progressives Congress (APC), questioned the witness on her knowledge of Hamzat's disclosure of his American citizenship.
After the witness gave an affirmative response, Quakers claimed that the witness was speaking about the law rather than factual matters.
The tribunal presided over by Justice Arum Ashom directed the respondent's attorneys to include their concerns in their final written addresses while all of the papers were admitted as evidence.
Justice Mikail Abdullahi and Justice l.P. Braimoh are the other panel members.
For the purpose of continuing the hearing, the tribunal adjourned the case to June 26.
