Why powerful forces want Ambode out — Group

A pro-democracy organisation, Governance Support Group, has alleged that some powerful forces within the All Progressives Congress in Lagos state want to unseat the governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode because he refused to share the resources of the state with them.

According to the group in a statement by Mr. Akinsola Sunmonu Richards, the failure of Ambode to meet the ‘burdensome’ monthly cash quota of these powerful people is the main reason behind the move to unseat the governor.

“These people and their loyalists have lamented that Ambode was deliberately starving them of funds in other to make them politically irrelevant and later build his own political structure,” the group said in the statement.

It added that some of the major contracts awarded by the Ambode’s administration were not awarded to the favoured companies of these powerful people.

“Some of the companies linked to these powerful people were said to have made outrageously high bids for contracts in such a manner that could not be justified. Ambode’s insistence on staying true to following procurement best practices and accounting standards enraged them,” the group alleged.

The group threatened to release some documents and approach the court if Ambode is impeached or disqualified from participating in the primary election in Lagos state.

Meanwhile the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has refuted claims that the State Assembly is planning to impeach  Ambode.

Obasa who was responding to Daily Trust enquiries through his Chief Press Secretary, Musibau Razak, said there is no iota of truth in the speculation trending on social media and some online news websites that the Speaker wrote Governor Ambode not to go ahead with the plans to buy the nomination form of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to re-contest his seat for second term.

The Speaker was alleged to have told the Governor not to re-contest or risk being impeached if he goes ahead with the plans.