Probe: Relief for Ambode as lawmakers suspend sitting

The ad-hoc committee set up by the Lagos State House of Assembly to investigate transactions in respect of the 820 buses procured by the immediate past administration of Akinwunmi Ambode, has suspended its sitting.

The house committee had given Ambode up to Wednesday, October 30, 2019 to appear before it to answer questions bordering on the transactions, which they claimed was not approved by the legislative arm of the government.

Ambode had on Tuesday, October 29, approached the Ikeja High Court to restrain the house from its ongoing investigation into the purchase of the 820 buses.

The High Court presided over by Justice Y.A Adesanya on Wednesday, October 30, ordered all parties to maintain status quo, and adjourned till November 20 for the next hearing.

Addressing newsmen after a brief sitting by the committee, after which it announced the adjournment, the chairman, Fatal Mojeed said that the matter was adjourned indefinitely as the committee got court summon to stay action on the matter and that they had to respect the opinion of the court.

“We are lawmakers we are not lawbreakers, which was why we had to adjourn the matter indefinitely. The people of Lagos should be expecting more from us,” he said.

Also speaking, Gbolahan Yishawu said that the house was not trying to witch-hunt anybody or put anybody on the spot for any reason.

Yishawu stressed that the assembly was not being pushed by any individual on the matter, while recalling that the issue dated back to 2017, when it was included in the appropriation law but was not approved by the House.

However, Olaniran Obele from the chambers of Tayo Oyetibo, counsel to the former governor, Ambode, has expressed dismay that they were not allowed into the committee room.

Obele, however, welcomed the decision of the committee to suspend further sitting on the matter based on the High Court ruling. He said he was at the assembly to drop a letter stating reasons why the former governor could no longer honour the summon as a result of the court ruling.

“The former governor was invited by the ad hoc committee to appear before it today. We came to represent Akinwunmi Ambode, but the officials of the assembly prevented us from entering the committee room.

“There is a matter pending in court and this afternoon, the court said the status quo should be maintained, that nothing should be done. We brought processes from the court and letters to serve on the chairman of the committee and the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly but they refused to accept validly issued court documents and letter conveying what the court has said to them”, Obele said.

 

JOSHUA BASSEY