Former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani has warned Kemi Badenoch that her repeated criticism of Nigeria could undermine her efforts to gain acceptance in Britain.

Sani, in a post on X on Friday, argued that the Conservative Party leader could not escape scrutiny over her Nigerian origins by speaking negatively about the country.

He said Badenoch was “fighting hard to be identified as British” while some Britons continued to remind her of her roots.

The former lawmaker added that repeatedly portraying one's country of origin negatively would not necessarily earn acceptance elsewhere.

“You are an extension of whatever you say about your country,” Sani wrote, warning against the assumption that denigrating one's homeland would improve their standing abroad.

The specific Badenoch remark that prompted Sani's latest comments was not immediately clear.

The exchange comes amid a long-running disagreement between Badenoch and Nigerian political figures over her comments about her country of origin.

In 2024, Vice-President Kashim Shettima criticised her remarks about Nigeria, contrasting her approach with that of former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who did not denigrate India, his ancestral country.

Badenoch's spokesperson responded at the time that “Kemi is not interested in doing Nigeria's PR”, adding that her responsibility was as the UK's Leader of the Opposition.

Sani has repeatedly criticised the Conservative leader over her comments on Nigeria. Following her remarks on colonialism in 2024, he argued that people who disown their countries of origin could eventually be reminded of their backgrounds.

He also accused her of playing the “divisive ethnic card” after she said she identified with the Yoruba and had little in common with northern Nigerians.

Badenoch also faced criticism after saying she could not pass Nigerian citizenship to her children because she was a woman. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana described the claim as ignorant and accused her of misleading the British public for political gain.

The Conservative leader has previously said she was Nigerian by ancestry and birth but added, “by identity, I'm not really”.

However, not all Nigerian public figures have criticised her. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described Badenoch as a potential future British prime minister during a summit in Owerri.