A Lagos-based civil rights movement, Save Lagos Group (SLG) has threatened to picket the Lagos State House of Assembly next week if it goes ahead with alleged plans to impeach Governor Akinwumi Ambode.
It also warned Mr. Mudashiru Obasa led State House of Assembly against being the tool to be used by some selfish individuals to impeach Ambode, saying that the group had prepared to legally, constitutionally and democratically resist any attempt to by the State Assembly to impeach the governor.
A statement from the group described as unconstitutional and illegal, attempt by the Assembly to impeach Ambode which it further dismissed as a “ruse, self-serving and politically motivated by the acclaimed selfish imposed leader in the state, noting that the Assembly’s action was not in the interest of Lagosians but an attempt to create confusion and bad political precedent in the state.
Rising from the emergency meeting of the group in Lagos on Friday over the Subject matter, it alleged that the only sin of Ambode was his refusal to open the treasury of the state to certain leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Convener of the group, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, who circulated copies of the decisions reached at the meeting, hinted that they had consulted widely before coming out in the open with their position, vowing that they were set to picket the Assembly to forestall the impeachment.
“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 Organisation (CSO) that believes in good governance, we cannot fold our 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”, the group claimed.
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 catastrophic for the state. (Thisday)
