Lagos Assembly Threatens To Arrest Ambode , Former Commissioners

Lagos House of Assembly has threatened to issue a warrant of
arrest for former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and four others who
served as his commissioners.

The decision followed two preliminary reports presented by two
different ad-hoc committees set up by the House to investigate the
820 buses purchased by Ambode and to appraise the 2019 mid year
budget.

The former commissioners include: Kazeem Adeniji (Attorney
General and Commissioner for Justice); Olusegun Banjo (Commissioner
for Budget); Akinyemi Ashade (Commissioner for Finance) and Wale
Oluwo (Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources).

Presenting the preliminary report of a 9-man ad-hoc committee to
probe the 820 buses purchased by the former governor, Chairman of
the committee Fatai Mojeed said that it was discovered that due
process was not followed in the purchase of the buses.

Mojeed added that the former governor used the refund of the
Paris Club for the purchase of the buses without the approval of
the House.

“He did not inform the House before commencing the purchase of
the buses.

“Over N48 billion was spent for the purchase of the busses and
N22 Billion was spent on import duties. 520 of the buses are still
at the seaport,” Mojeed said.

He said further that the Accountant General of the state told
the committee that she depended on the approval of Ambode for the
purchase of the buses and no payment voucher was made available to
the committee.

The lawmaker added that they also demanded for the budget
instrument used for the purchase, but that there was no budgetary
provision for the purchases.

“They could not produce any newspaper where the purchase of the
buses was advertised.

“The committee invited 20 stakeholders, 16 of them complied,
while four of them refused against the constitutional provision,”
he added.

Gbolahan Yishawu, Chairman ad hoc on mid-year budget review,
alleged that the ex- commissioners were invited by his committee
but refused to appear without giving any excuses for their
absence.

Yishawu also claimed that the former governor gave some
directives on spending without the approval of the lawmakers.

While reacting to the matter, some members of the House
suggested that since the ex-governor and those officials who worked
with him had been invited by the two committees and refused to show
up, warrant of arrest should be issued on them.

Bisi Yusuf, the member representing Alimosho Constituency 1,
told his colleagues that the House is empowered by the constitution
to issue a warrant of arrest on the concerned individuals for their
refusal to appear before the committees.

While expressing a contrary view, member representing Badagry
Constituency 1, Ibrahim Layode urged his colleagues to tread with
caution.

He advised that the concerned individuals should be invited
through newspaper advertisements, stating that the ex-officials are
likely to come across the publications.

Majority Leader, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade said: “I want to observe
that if they have been invited and refuse to show up, we should
summon them and if they still refuse, then a warrant of arrest can
be issued. Now they’ve been invited, we should summon them by using
the dailies before going to the extent of issuing arrest
warrant.”

Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, noted that the issue was beyond issue
of arrest warrant, “because when this house invites people and they
refuse to show up, it’s like setting a bad precedence for others
coming behind.

“The clerk should write them including the ex-governor, Mr.
Akinwunmi Ambode and if they refuse, we will do newspaper
publications and after that we will issue a warrant of arrest,”
Obasa vowed.

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