Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said she no longer identifies as Nigerian and has not renewed her Nigerian passport since the early 2000s.
Speaking on the Rosebud podcast hosted by Gyles Brandreth, Badenoch, who was born in Wimbledon and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, said her sense of identity has shifted over time, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
"I'm Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there because of my parents... but by identity, I'm not really," said the North West Essex MP.
Badenoch returned to the UK at age 16 after Nigeria’s economic collapse in the 1990s and has lived in Britain ever since.
“Home is where my now family is, and my now family is my children, my husband, my brother and his children, in-laws. The Conservative Party is very much part of my family – my extended family,” she said.
While she expressed ongoing interest in Nigeria and maintains strong family ties there, Badenoch emphasized that her life, career, and home are rooted in the UK.
The comments follow previous criticism from Nigerian officials. In 2024, Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima accused Badenoch of disparaging the country during the Conservative Party leadership race, controversially stating she had “every right to remove the Kemi from her name.”
At the time, a spokesperson for Badenoch responded, saying, “She is not the PR for Nigeria.”
Badenoch also reflected on how her early experiences in Nigeria influenced her political views, particularly her opposition to socialism.
“I remember never quite feeling that I belonged there,” she added, recalling the bureaucratic challenges she faced when returning to Nigeria for her father’s funeral.
Despite her remarks, Badenoch reaffirmed her interest in Nigerian affairs but made clear that her identity and priorities are now firmly centered in Britain.
