By Abiola Olawale
A campaign document used by the leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, Kemi Badenoch, has emerged on social media amid the ongoing debates over the Nigerian-British politician.
In the campaign document sighted by the New Diplomat, Badenoch (née Adegoke) in 2010, passionately urged the Nigerian community residing in the UK to support her candidacy for a parliamentary seat.
Her campaign was aimed at rallying votes and fostering a connection with her roots.
The emergence of the campaign document comes after Badenoch made headlines in Nigeria over her comments about the country.
In the document, she pledged to uplift the image of the Nigerians through her position in the British political system.
Badenoch had said then: “I need your help. I’m running for parliament in the 2010 UK general elections. The race is very tight. Last year, a survey was carried out in this constituency by the News of the World and the forecast was that I would win. This year, things are a lot tougher as the party has dropped nationally in the polls. I need your help.
“In a recent BBC interview, a caller insulted me because I’m Yoruba. I was very disappointed that a Nigerian woman who claimed to have lived in London for 45 years had issues with me being Yoruba than with my political views and shamefully made her comments on national radio.
“We need to get out of this mindset where we are fighting one another and try and support each other instead. Regardless of party allegiance, a Nigerian in parliament winning purely on merit and not because of her relatives or by buying the election will be amazing.”
However, after winning the election, Badenoch had severally taken a swipe at Nigerian politicians.
In 2022 she said: “I grew up in Nigeria, and I saw firsthand what happens when politicians are in it for themselves when they use public money as their private piggy banks.”
“I saw what socialism is for millions. I saw poverty and broken dreams. I came to Britain to make my way in a country where hard work and honest endeavour can take you anywhere.”
Also, in one of the interviews she had with the British media, she said she did not want the UK to experience what made her flee Nigeria.
“This is my country…I don’t want it to become like the place I ran away from. I want it to get better and better, not just for me, but for the next generation,” she said.
These comments generated a reaction from Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima who urged Badenoch to change her name and disassociate herself from Nigeria.
Shettima had also accused Badenoch of disparaging her country of origin, Nigeria.
He made the statement on Monday during the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the State House in Abuja.
Shettima said: “Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Labour or Conservative Party. We are proud of her despite her efforts at denigrating her nation of origin.
“She is entitled to her own opinions; she has even every right to remove the Kemi from her name but that does not underscore the fact that the greatest black nation on earth is the nation called Nigeria.”
