Lagos: Group Backs Calls To Probe Ambode’s Administration
A pro-democracy group, Lagos Peace Movement (LPM), has thrown its weight behind those calling for an investigation into the immediate past administration under the former Governor Akinwumi Ambode with a view to ascertaining its propriety or otherwise in its four years at the saddle.
At a media interaction in Lagos, the group’s Publicity Secretary, Comrade Adekunle Adeosun said, “as an organization that advocates peace, justice and transparency in governance, we support all other groups, especially, the recent protesters under the umbrella of the Lagos Youth Vanguard (LYV), calling for the probe of the immediate past administration in the state.”
According to him, the call for the probe is sequent to the template already laid by the Lagos State House of Assembly and other organizations, stressing that, “the call for proper investigation of the last administration is never to witch hunt anybody but to make things clear about how the state’s finances were handled during the period in question.”
Adeosun went further to disclose that, “as a result for the above submission, we have briefed our legal team to commence a process of compelling the Lagos State House of Assembly, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) that invaded the former governor’s resident in Epe and other relevant agencies to inform the public the latest developments on the matter.”
The group’s spokesman said the resolve to go the legal way was to be certain about the true situation of things, stating that, “we have for long been relying on social media reports and we don’t want to act on rumours or unconfirmed reports as a civilized group.”
According to him, every critical sectors in the state “we have interacted with confirmed our fears that there were serious inappropriate procurement processes over award of contracts,” adding that, “our action is to prevent the fate of 20 million Lagosians not to hang in the balance.”
Against this background, the group, therefore, demand that “Lagos and taxpayers’ money allegedly kept either by individuals or institutions be returned or be retrieved,” saying, “Transparency and accountability should be the hallmarks of governance in a cosmopolitan state like Lagos to allow rapid growth and development.”
On the stand of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), condemning the agitation for the probe, Adeosun said, “we are not shocked or surprised because it appears that PDP and the immediate past administration are Siamese twins who are inseparable partners in failure,” saying, “hence, the party does not deserve to be dignified with response.”
According to him, the party’s abysmal performance for 16 years at the country’s helm of affairs speaks volume about its failure to meet the yearning and aspirations of the good people of Nigeria, saying, little wonder that was booted out with ignominy in 2015.
