Aborisade Slams Kemi Badenoch Over Comments on Nigeria, Citizenship Claims

...Says She Lied, Defamed Nigeria, and Betrayed Her Roots

A United Kingdom-trained legal practitioner and 2027 Oyo State governorship hopeful, Chief Niyi Aborisade, has strongly criticised British Conservative MP and cabinet minister, Kemi Badenoch, for what he described as “lies and defamation” against Nigeria regarding the country's citizenship laws and gender equity.

In a detailed statement made available to journslists  and titled “Kemi Badenoch Lies and Obsession with Nigeria,” Aborisade accused Badenoch of misleading the public and painting Nigeria in a false light, particularly over claims that she was unable to obtain Nigerian citizenship for her children due to gender discrimination.

Aborisade, a human rights activist and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dismissed Badenoch’s remarks as “ignorant and defamatory,” citing the Nigerian constitution’s clear stipulations on citizenship.

“The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria in Section 25 (1)(b) and (c) provides that every person born outside Nigeria to Nigerian parents is automatically a citizen. Badenoch’s children qualify for Nigerian citizenship by virtue of their mother’s nationality,” he stated.

Badenoch had, during a recent interview, claimed that it was "virtually impossible to get Nigerian citizenship," alleging that Nigerian law discriminates against women in conferring citizenship on their children. Aborisade countered these assertions, stating that Badenoch, despite holding an LLB from Birkbeck, University of London, “demonstrated real ignorance” of Nigerian law.

"This is not just a lie but a defamatory statement against Nigeria. Her assertion is not backed by law and shows either sheer laziness or deliberate misrepresentation,” Aborisade added.

Recalling her political emergence in the UK, Aborisade noted that Badenoch once leaned heavily on her Nigerian and Yoruba heritage to win support from diaspora Nigerians during her early campaigns. However, he lamented that she has since turned her back on the same community.

“She used her Nigerian roots to appeal to voters when she was contesting elections in 2010. She promised to defend their interests. Today, she has made Nigerians her number one enemy,” he said.

Aborisade also criticised Badenoch for her political stance on immigration and race, accusing her of adopting policies and rhetoric that disproportionately target Nigerians and other minority communities in the UK. He described her approach as one of “self-hate” and a betrayal of her heritage.

"It is unfortunate that someone elevated by the liberal British system now seeks to dismantle that same system and make life harder for immigrants, especially Nigerians,” Aborisade declared.

He likened Badenoch’s attitude to biblical betrayal, contrasting her with the biblical Esther, who used her royal position to save her people.

“Kemi is doing the opposite of Esther. Instead of defending her people, she is hell-bent on destroying their future in the UK,” Aborisade lamented.

The lawyer concluded by citing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent jab at Badenoch, describing her as someone “desperately seeking relevance,” and warned Nigerians at home and abroad to beware of politicians who exploit their origins for personal gain but later undermine the same communities.

There is a Yoruba proverb,” Aborisade noted, “that says a child who promises to eat the heads of chickens when he grows will not live long enough to grow — because the chickens will fight back. That is the path Badenoch is treading.”