Civil rights group blows hot over alleged move to impeach Lagos governor

Akinwumi Ambode

A Lagos civil rights group, Save Lagos Group, SLG, has frowned at an alleged underground move by the state House of Assembly to impeach the Governor of the State, Akinwumi Ambode.

The group said it had concluded arrangement to picket the Lagos State House of Assembly next over what it termed illegal impeachment process against Governor Ambode.

It further warned the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa against being used as a tool by some selfish individuals to impeach Ambode, adding that it had fully prepared to legally, constitutionally and democratically resist any attempt to impeach the State governor.

In a statement by the convener of the group, Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman, on Thursday, SLG said the unconstitutional and illegal move was a ruse, self serving and politically motivated by the acclaimed selfish imposed leader in the State.

The group added that the Assembly action was not in the interest of the Lagosians but an attempt to create confusion and bad political precedent in the polity of the State.

Rising from the emergency meeting of the group in Lagos on Friday over the subject matter, SLG alleged that the only sin of Governor Ambode was his refusal to open the treasury of the State to certain leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in the State.

It said, “the anti-masses attempt to impeach Governor Ambode Akinwumi would be resisted by all and sundry through legal and democratic means in the State.

“They wanted Ambode out of office prematurely because they didn’t want him to be entitled to the pension emolument of the exalted office. As a civil rights group that stood for truth and Justice, we must say capital ‘NO’ to selfish removal of the Lagos governor. It is a shame on the leadership of the party (APC) that is claiming to be different in deeds from the main opposition political party (PDP) , could attempt to impeach a governor through ‘PALACE COUP’ on the basis of not satisfying certain political leaders’ interest. To us, we believe that the impeachment process in any democratic clime used to be the poor performance of a holder of the certain Executive offices.

“Truly, we are not members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and we should be less concerned on their matter but as a responsible and responsive civil society organization (CSO) that believes in good governance, we cannot fold arms by allowing certain individuals to lay bad precedent for our hard earned democracy. Our democracy should be allowed to grow beyond the interest of godfatherism.”

Comrade Sulaiman who doubles as Executive Chairman, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice, CHRSJ, “therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the APC leaders in the State to caution the leadership of the State House of Assembly against illegal attempt to remove Governor Ambode because it might be catastrophe for the State.”

-Daily Post