LAGOS—FOLLOWING moves by members of the Lagos State House of Assembly to impeach Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, a web of intrigues, yesterday, surfaced over the current face-off between the two arms of government.
The obviously frosty relationship between the Executive and the Legislative arms of the government further nose-dived as the lawmakers reconvened sitting, on Monday, with a move to impeach Governor Ambode over financial misconduct and violation of the 1999 Constitution.
Members of the state House of Assembly have been variously speculated to have unresolved issues with Ambode.
A source told Vanguard that the feud has led to a division in the Assembly.
While a faction believed to have a score to settle with the governor, insist on Ambode’s impeachment, another faction sympathetic to Ambode opine that impeachment should not be the last option.
One week ultimatum
The lawmakers, however, while summoning the governor to appear before it, issued a week ultimatum to address the issues and respond to the allegations levelled against him or risk impeachment.
Citing the 1999 Constitution, the Assembly alleged that the governor, who was yet to present.
The lawmakers also alleged that the executive arm was already spending from the state funds, an action described as an aberration.
According to the lawmakers, the governor’s action amounts to either resignation or impeachment as stipulated by the 1999 constitution.
Reacting to the findings of the special ad-hoc committee setup by the House to clear air on activities of budget performance in the state, the legislature argued that the 2018 budget failed to perform above 50 percent.
Inspite of the threat, Ambode seemed unperturbed as he continued to keep mute over the development.
Barely 24 hours after the threat, the Alausa secretariat, was quiet, yesterday, as Ambode led some executive members on commissioning of some projects in Lekki area of the state.
Speaker wants fair hearing
The Speaker of the House, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa told the lawmakers that it was important to give the Governor a fair hearing over the issue involving the 2019 Budget.
Though, Obasa argued a violation of the constitution and infractions on the part of the Governor, Vanguard gathered that there were more to it than meet the eye.
The undercurrent issues, source said, has to do with financial misunderstanding between the two parties.
Allegations against Ambode
Ambode was alleged to have refused to approve and include severance allowance for the lawmakers against the norms by successive out-going governors.
The governor was also accused to have spent funds on the execution of the N22 billion Oshodi–Transport Interchange project without approval of the Assembly as stipulated by the Constitution.
The lawmakers were also miffed by the claim of the governor to have purchased each of the 820 high and medium capacity buses of the state Bus Reform Project at the rate of N70 million which is believed to have been inflated and spent out of the unapproved budget.
It was also gathered that lawmakers are questioning the funds spent on construction of each of the 100 modern bus stops across the state and the cost of N50 million.
A source told Vanguard that: “With all these constitutional infractions among others, can we say they are not enough for the House of Assembly to put the governor on the scale for clarification? The constitution has been breached by the governor, he should come out to defend himself or bare the consequence.”
Recall that the Deputy Speaker stated that the committee met with the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Segun Banjo, who insisted that no money had been spent for the year.
Gov starving lawmakers of funds
A top government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “The lawmakers are moving against the government because he (Ambode) is starving them of funds.”
