UPDATE: Civil Society Groups Threaten Showdown With Lagos

Eniola Olayemi

At least eight civil society organisations have threatened to shut down the Lagos State House of Assembly if the lawmakers proceed with the impeachment plan to unseat the state governor, Akinwumi Ambode.

The groups including Campaign for Democracy (CD), United Action For Democracy (UAD), Centre for Public Accountability (CPA), Democracy Volunteers (DV), Ajegunle Collectives, Lagos People’s Assembly (LPA), Oodua People’s Congress (Reformed), Yoruba Revolutionary Assembly (YORA) and Ohanaeze Youth, Lagos, came together under the umbrella of Lagos Liberation Movement. Their intention was conveyed by Comrade Mark Adebayo.

At a world press conference held at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, on Thursday, the coalition said the assembly was fast becoming a puppet being manoeuvred by a puppeteer and a national leader of the All Progressives Congress.

Recall that the lawmakers had threatened to commence impeachment proceedings against the governor over alleged gross misconduct particularly with regards to the 2019 budget of the State.

Adebayo noted that residents of the state had been thrown into confusion with questions hanging on their lips.

He alleged that the about 20 years dominance of Tinubu in Lagos politics was obviously responsible for the “selfish” adventure.

Adebayo said, “It is public knowledge that some days ago, members of the House commenced what is tantamount to a game of shame and senselessness, the results of which are predictably destructive by the ill-advised commencement of impeachment process against Governor Ambode.

“The question that most Lagosians are asking is ‘why?’. However, the reasons are not farfetched: It is fundamentally the handiwork and  retrogressive machinations of political forces of evil determined to keep  Lagos State in perpetual bondage of a man playing God over more than 20 million Lagosians with a view to perpetuating a political dynasty of lootocratic recklessness, marauding corruption and a relay regime of nepotistic subjugation accentuated by an intractable malaise of primitive accumulation of the most deadly genre, spearheaded, commanded, guided and goaded by Asiwaju Tinubu we daresay.”

He warned the Assembly to withdraw the move as the coalition would join over  20 million residents of the state to resist the move.

He maintained, “We like to reiterate that Ambode is the governor of Lagos State and not the governor of the APC. If they have internal issues within their Party that should not be allowed to negatively affect the smooth running of government and make people suffer. The whole state cannot be reduced to the parochial shenanigans of a highly corrupted political family.

“The office of governor of Lagos State is beyond Ambode and as such any further humiliation, disrespect and embarrassment from any quarter will be utterly resisted by the people. Lagosians are unequivocal in their view that Ambode is a performing governor based on his style of governance and project execution, and as such, any further attack on him will be tantamount to attacking the People. And no one can win against the people.”