Nigerians have expressed mixed feelings after British-Nigerian politician, Kemi Badenoch, emerged as the new leader of the Conservative Party, defeating Robert Jenrick in the final round of voting.
Badenoch, a Member of Parliament representing North West Essex, became the first black woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom after getting 53,806 votes against Jenrick’s 41,388, in a result announced by the party on Saturday morning.
While some Nigerians hailed the triumph of the 44-year-old, others said her victory meant nothing for the Black community and Nigerians in the diaspora.
A popular media entrepreneur, Mo Abudu, in an Instagram post on Saturday, described Badenoch’s feat as evidence of the possibility of breaking limitations and embracing strengths.
“Kemi’s journey is a reminder to every woman and young girl that no dream is out of reach. Here’s to more stories of resilience, leadership, and making history,” Abudu said.
A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, also hailed her election.
“Mrs Badenoch is the first person of African origin to occupy this position and the fact that she has Nigerian roots makes this a double celebration. This is the highest height a person of Nigerian heritage has ever achieved in the Western hemisphere. I call on all Nigerians in Nigeria and the diaspora to rally around her.”
Also, a Nigerian living in Bradford, UK, Maxwell Adeyemi, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH, called for support for Badenoch.
However, netizens on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) said there was nothing to celebrate.
“Because of what she recently said about Nigeria,” @GeneratXyz wrote. “I don’t feel too excited to congratulate Kemi Badenoch. She could have done her campaign without degrading where she’s actually from. The UK remains not her home but her sojourn. Nigeria will forever be her root.”
Also, some of the comments on the announcement of her election on the Nigerians in the UK community platform were negative.
“Congratulations? The dumbest black woman in the Conservative Party? Do you even know Kemi? I no sure,” @ill_nojie wrote.
Badenoch, who was born in the UK to late Mr Femi Adegoke and Mrs Feyi Adegoke, was raised in Nigeria before returning to the UK.
She recently irked a former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, after she made a demeaning reference to Nigeria in the build-up to the election.
In an interview, Badenoch 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 that next generation,” she said.
It’s not the first time she would be criticised for making such snide comments about the country.
The 44-year-old woman once told the BBC, “I grew up somewhere where the lights didn’t come on, where we ran out of fuel frequently despite being an oil-producing country.”
Also in 2020, she defended the British colonialism during a debate on the UK’s response to the Black Lives Matter Movement.
She said, “The fact that colonialism happened does not mean that our modern history is tainted by it.”
Adeyemi, however, said her comments were based on facts.
He said, “She only told the truth. Millions of lives of people, who are precious like that of Kemi Badenoch have been wasted by the people entrusted with power. She was lucky to have been born here in the UK. But, how many Nigerians have such an opportunity? We shouldn’t blame Kemi for telling the truth.”
