Emmanuel Thomas l Friday, April 26, 2019
LAGOS, Nigeria – Governorship candidates of the Alliance for Democracy(AD) Chief Owolabi Salis and that of the Labour Party(LP) Prof. Ifagbemi Awamaridi have said that the Governor-elect of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is unfit to preside over the affairs of Lagos State as governor.
They believe he is not mentally sound to occupy the office. Besides, they alleged that the governor-elect was an ex-convict having been convicted in the United States allegedly for spending counterfeit US Dollars.
They are basing their allegations on pre-election allegations made by the Govenror of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who alleged that the governor-elect was treated allegedly for mental ailment at the Gbagada General Hospital and that he was also convicted for spending counterfeit US Dollars in the United States.
For this very reasons, they are heading to the Federal High Court to seek a restraining order stopping governor elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu from being sworn in come May 29, 2019 pending determination of the issue. The two candidates who are already at the tribunal believe that swearing the governor-elect in would contravene provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Owolabi Salis said he and his labour colleague have filed a motion asking the tribunal stop the swearing in of Sanwo Olu pending the determination of the facts.
“Sanwo-Olu has mental issues. We are asking the tribualnal to stob the swearing in by reason of insanity. The constitution said only those who are of sound mind should be made governor. We have information that he was convicted in US for spending fake Dollars. The Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said it, it is well known to the international community, and Lagosians”, he said.
Besides, he said the results declared upon which Sanwo-Olu was declared winner were all written and allocated. “We are going to prove all this at the tribunal. Besides, we believe Lagos deserves a sound mind”, he said, adding that Sanwo Olu is also a product of imposition and that many Lagosinans would have voted for either Alliance for Democracy or other parties but that they were intimidated to stay at home”, he said.
The AD governorship candidate alluded to the number of registered voters, stressing that though over 6 million voters were registered those who came out to vote were the lowest (less than 5 percent of electorates) and that most of the votes ascribed were product of fraud, multiple voting and others.
“Many of the voters expressed their displeasure to AD, he said, and that APC took advantage of other parties because of resources they have. “Most of the agents, and ahoc staff were agents of APC, so they did their bidings. We also discovered at CBN that most of the items that were supposed to be deliverd to Lagos State were delivered to Lagos politicians which they used in writing the results”, he alleged.
Besides, he explained that INEC did not release enough agent cards. According to him, out of 30,000 agent cards, only about 300 agent cards were issued. “When you present them, they were not recognised. They smuggled in tomb-printed papers and used thugs to deliver stuffed ballot boxes. For instance, we had figures at the polling units, but during collation, the figures were changed”, he alleged, adding, “I was targetted and the results declared was a complete fraud”.
He said he knows that stopping the swearing-in could trigger a constitutional crisis, since the governor and his deputy were elected together. But that in the absence of a deputy, the Chief Justice of Lagos State can be sworn in pending when the Speaker of Lagos House of Assembly will emerge.
“Ambode should hand over to the Chief Justice of Lagos State pending when a speaker will be sworn in. This is becasue if Sanwo Olu was not validly nominated, Deputy will also not be validly nominated”, he said. He said he was never sponsored by anybody that his quest is that the best brain should governor Lagos so as to make the state a rallying point for the black race who are discriminated against globally.
Also speaking, candidate of the Labour Party, Professor Ifagbemi Awamaridi said the governor-elect of Lagos never stated that he was at Gbagada General Hospital his form, neither did he state that he was convicted in the United State and that the bone of contention was not just his insanity. He maintained that either ways, the governor would have either committed pejury by lying on oath or delibrately obstructed justice.
