UK authorities confirm British passport published online does not belong to Saraki

SENATE president Senator Bukola Saraki has distanced himself from a British passport being circulated on social media as belonging to him adding that the document is a forgery published to discredit him.

 

Over the last week, Senator Saraki has been besieged as the Code of Conduct Bureau has ordered his arrest for failing to appear before it to answer charges of false asset declaration. Elected in controversial circumstances, Senator Saraki was not the choice of his party the All Progressives Congress (APC) and several of its senators are trying to get him removed.

 

Last week, pictures of Senator Saraki's properties in the UK were circulated on several social media and a copy of a passport believed to be his was also attached. The controversial passport, with the name Olybukola Saraki, and number 306077175 was published by a news website as evidence of Mr. Saraki’s dual citizenship and subsequent ineligibility to hold public office in Nigeria.

 

UK authorities have also dismissed the picture as a forgery but have admitted that Senator Saraki holds a valid British passport. Although Senator Saraki confessed that he has a UK passport obtained by virtue of his being born in the country, he said the one published online was not his and may have been forged.

 

Senator Saraki has thus e instructed his attorney to contact the UK Passport Office to investigate what he termed an act of criminality. He further explained that only those who voluntarily obtained the citizenship of another country are disqualified from holding public office.

 

“It is important to state that the requirement to forfeit Nigerian nationality/citizenship upon acquisition of the nationality/citizenship of another country does not apply to persons who are Nigerians by birth within the definition of Section 25 of the Constitution. This section also acknowledges and protects the right to hold citizenship by birth of another country.

 

“Citizens of a country by birth do not need to swear to an oath of allegiance to that country. It is only a citizenship acquired through naturalisation and registration that has the requirement to take an oath of allegiance,” Senator Saraki added.

 

According to the UK Passport Office, Senator Saraki was issued a British passport on June 29, 2006, which will expire on 29 June, 2016. UK Passport Office officials, however, declined to provide details of who owns the passport number on the published document, saying that it can only disclose such information upon the production of a United Kingdom court order directing the department to release the information.