Nigeria: Lagos 2027 - Rhodes-Vivour Questions Hamzat's Eligibility Over U.S. Allegiance

What the report says

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Lagos State, has raised fresh questions about Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat’s eligibility for the 2027 election. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, he argued that an alleged oath of allegiance to the United States could bar Hamzat from holding Nigerian executive office.

According to Vanguard, Rhodes-Vivour said his legal team had previously relied on that allegation during the 2023 governorship dispute. He framed the issue as a constitutional one, saying public officials should not owe allegiance to another country while serving in Nigeria. He also suggested that any such foreign tie should have been openly renounced before seeking office.

The article says the claim is linked to testimony heard during the 2023 election petition process, when an immigration lawyer said Hamzat had applied for U.S. naturalisation and taken an oath of allegiance. That witness also noted she was speaking to U.S. immigration law and not Nigeria’s constitutional rules. Rhodes-Vivour separately criticized the 2023 polls, alleging violence and intimidation.

The report adds political context by noting that President Bola Tinubu has endorsed Hamzat as the APC candidate for the Lagos governorship race. The matter is significant because it touches on candidate eligibility, dual allegiance concerns and the wider contest ahead of the 2027 Lagos election.