on thursday APC lawmaker denies renouncing Nigerian citizenship at Tribunal

Dennis Idahosa, the lawmaker representing Ovia Federal Constituency of Edo State in the House of Representatives on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday denied renouncing his Nigeria citizenship.

Idahosa made the denial during his defence at the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Benin, in an election petition filed by Omosede Igbinedion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Igbinedion is challenging Idahosa’s victory at the polls.

At the resumed sitting yesterday, Idahosa told the three-man panel of justices that he had never renounced his citizenship of the country.

According to him, he remained a citizen of Nigeria by birth and a board member of the National Agency for Great Green Wall (NAGW), an establishment under the Federal Ministry of Environment, from where he resigned on November 5, 2018, about 90 days to the elections.

Led in evidence by his counsel, Enahoro Ahhomo, who represented the lead counsel, Ken Mozia (SAN), Idahosa also reiterated that the National Assembly election for Ovia federal constituency was free, fair and peaceful in all the wards and polling units.

“I am a proud Nigerian and I came to this earth as a Nigerian and I will leave this earth as a Nigerian.

“There was nowhere and time I told anybody that I renounced the nationality of Nigeria.

“The election in Ovia federal constituency of Edo State was free, fair and there was no record of violence; it was peaceful,” he said.