Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has claimed that Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president-elect, should not have run in the election due to his dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea. Atiku made the statement in response to Tinubu’s preliminary objection filed before the presidential election petition court in Abuja.

Shortly after Tinubu was declared the president-elect, there were reports that he allegedly obtained citizenship of Guinea. The allegations generated various reactions on social media, with many arguing that having dual citizenship bars Tinubu from contesting elections in the country.

Tinubu’s relationship with Alpha Conde, the former president of Guinea, has also come under scrutiny. According to TheCable, Ousmane Yara, a Guinean ambassador to African Union (AU) for Agenda 2063, said Tinubu was recognised by Conde as a special envoy. Meanwhile, Tinubu’s preliminary objection has challenged Atiku’s petition on the grounds that he (Atiku) is not a Nigerian by birth and so, not qualified to run for the presidency.