There has been a series of controversies surrounding the president-elect, Bola Tinubu. In a week time, he would be sworn in as the 16th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. However, some people are not satisfied with the outcome of the elections. The manner which the election results were announced by the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Mamood Yakubu, and the allegations against the former governor of Lagos State has been a thread for discussion in the past months. Let’s take a detailed look at these allegations.
Age controversy
Several people have accused Tinubu of being above 71 years, which is said to be his age. However, there has been no proof to discard this claim. Nevertheless, there have been statements which show a disparity in the age of the politician and his first daughter, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, which has been “sorted.”
Background
Tinubu is from Osun State. However, there have been controversies on who his parents are and his educational background. His primary and secondary education was not submitted to INEC during the last general elections. However, he is said to be a graduate of Chicago State University, United States.
Health status
There has been a series of arguments on the health status of Tinubu. Some people have expressed fear that his health challenges may affect his performance in office. Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari travelled several times outside the country for medical check-ups. Hence, the people are wary not to have a repeat in the next administration.
Dual citizenship
There have been allegations that Tinubu holds a Guinean passport. Speaking on the issue during an interview with Channels Television in April 2023, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola said, “I don’t know about dual citizenship. I know he (Tinubu) resided abroad when he went on exile. I don’t know if they gave him American citizenship. What does that have to do with the results of the election? The last time I checked, I think Nigeria’s constitution allows you to have dual citizenship. Doesn’t it? I will check but I doubt if Nigeria’s constitution makes you disentitled if you have a dual citizenship because the constitution allows you to have dual citizenship.”
It is pertinent to note that Section 137 (1)(a) of the Nigerian Constitution says a person will not be qualified to be president if “he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria.”
Drug trafficking
There have been allegations of Tinubu being involved in drug trafficking while in the US. The US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois released documents in August 2022 showing that the politician forfeited $460,000 to the US government in 1993 relating to drug trafficking.
However, the APC, in reaction to the allegation in April 2023, said that the decision wasn’t against Tinubu but against his bank account. This is following the ongoing court case filed by the presidential candidates of the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar respectively, challenging Tinubu’s win during the elections.
The APC told the court, “The said decision is not against the 2nd Respondent (Tinubu) but against the funds in the various account opened in the name of Bola Tinubu with First Heritage Bank and City Bank N.A.
“The compromise terms that led to the forfeiture were preceded by express admission on record that the 2nd Respondent (Tinubu) did not admit the commission of any drug, drug-related or illicit conduct of dishonesty or fraud that fits into any of the grounds of disqualification to contest for the office of president of Nigeria at the February 25, 2023 general election.”
There are expectations on how the administration of Bola Tinubu will be. Will it be better than that of Buhari or will his supporters regret voting for him? Time will tell.
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