Obanikoro to be Barred From Ministerial Appointment for Having Dual Citizenship

A group, which identified itself as the All Nigeria Save Democracy Movement, has criticized the nomination of former Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Musliu Obanikoro, by President Goodluck Jonathan as Minister. The civil society group, disclosed on Sunday that it has written a petition to the Senate President, David Mark, through Senators Gbenga Ashafa and Obafemi Ojudu, where it listed several reasons Obanikoro was not qualified to become a minister. The group alleged that Obanikoro is of dual citizenship–USA and Nigeria – and going by the provisions of the constitution, he should be disqualified. It maintained that, “Section 147 (5) of the Constitution, as amended, provides that no person shall be appointed as a minister of the government of the federation unless he is qualified for election as a member of the House of Representatives.

“Section 66 (1) (a) of the Constitution also states that no person shall be qualified for election to the Senate or the House of Representatives if – subject to the provisions of Section 28 of the Constitution, he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship to a country other than Nigeria or, except in such cases as may be prescribed by the National Assembly, has made a declaration of allegiance to such a country.

“These provisions are so clear as to remove any ambiguity as to the spirit and letter of their constitutional/legal implications. By these provisions alone, Musiliu Obanikoro was not even qualified in the first instance to run for the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but managed to manipulate the system to get himself elected into the Senate in 1999, which in itself was fraudulent and criminal. As a matter of fact, his title of senator should be nullified having obtained same fraudulently.”

Obanikoro had on October 15, 2014 resigned his position as minister of state for defence from the present administration in order to contest the governorship primary of the PDP in Lagos, which he lost to his rival, Jimi Agbaje.

Following his defeat, he was nominated the second time by President Goodluck Jonathan for another ministerial position.