Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
Nigeria, July 30, 2016 – Members of the ruling All Progressive Congress(APC) in Lagos State are not happy with the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.
They are so angry that they decided to vent their spleen by booing the governor when he visited the party secretariat situated at Acme Road, Ikeja, Lagos.
Our sources said they booed the governor in the presence of National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule; Chairman, APC Lagos State, Otunba Henry Ajomale; former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye; Party Chieftain, Prince Tajudeen Olusi; Senator representing Lagos East at the Upper Legislative Chamber, Gbenga Ashafa; Southwest APC Women Leader, Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson; Deputy Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Wasiu Sanni Eshinlokun, among others.
Dependable sources at APC secretariat told our correspondent that that the governor only gives APC Lagos the sum of N25 million monthly as running cost for the main secretariat and offices in the 20 local government and 57 local council development areas.
We gathered that members of the party were angry that even the former Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola whom they condemned treated them better than Ambode.
We were also informed that party members were infuriated by the Governor’s unforgiving spirit for former Governor of the State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, without whom he would not have been elected.
We gathered that Ambode’s unforgiving spirit is manifested in his refusal to pay off all political appointees who served Fashola and contractors that worked for Fashola.
We were informed that Fashola was unable to pay these individuals before he left office due to quantum of resources in billions of Naira and Dollars deployed to match the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Naira for Naira and Dollars for Dollars during the election for Ambode to emerge as governor.
We gathered that the governor is acting in defiance of advice given by the Oba of Lagos, His Royal Highness, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, never to go to Government House Ikeja with vendettas.
We gathered that the Oba, in his wisdom, gave the advice before the governor was sworn in, bearing in mind that Fashola favoured his Commissioner for Justice, Mr, Supo Shashore before the party primaries.
We have it on good authority that the governor has also refused to pay Deux Project, believed to be owned by a party loyalist, Mr. Tunji Olowolafe.
Sources informed us that Lagos State is indebted to Deux Project and HFP in excess of N25 billion, a development, we gathered has put the banks (Access bank and Keystone, etc) that financed projects executed for the state in financial difficulty.
Deux Project, we gathered is reputed for executing high quality job for Lagos State like the staff clinic in Alausa, new complexes in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), projects at Gbagada General Hospital and not less than 24 General Hospitals including the one at Ijaye Ogba, Festac Town, Surulere, Ikorodu and other areas.
Sources in Alausa told our correspondent that Deux Project and others who have been cleared before by the Ministry of Finance were requested to submit their vouchers for re-validation, a process, we gathered has been deliberately delayed.
We gathered that the booing was so severe that Tinubu had to calm frayed nerves by unveiling what transpired at a meeting he had with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, during which Vice President Yemi Osibanjo spoke in glowing terms regarding the governor.
“I was with Mr President, President Muhammadu Buhari for about two hours yesterday and Governor Ambode was not there when we were discussing generally about the problem of Nigeria. The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo got up and spoke glowingly of the Governor and my head was swelling. I became even more proud of him,” he said.
Were reliably informed that the governor was so embarrassed that he cancelled his engagement to unveil “One Lagos” Tourism brand programme scheduled for the Lagos Bar Beach.
