Protesters demand ouster of Banire as APC nat’l legal adviser

A group, ‘Concerned Members’ of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Mushin and Odio-Olowo areas of Lagos State, Tuesday, delivered a protest letter to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode demanding the removal of Muiz Banire as the national legal adviser of APC and subsequent expulsion from the party.
Before becoming the national legal adviser of the APC, Banire, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had served under two former governors of Lagos, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola as commissioner for transportation and environment, respectively.
His grouse with the party at the state level, it was gathered, has to do with the non-conduct of primary to select the party’s flag bearers in the forth-coming local government election, especially in Mushin Local Government, where he is said to wield some level of influence.
But the group led by Femi Martins, a lawyer and chieftain of the APC in Mushin, said their demand to ouster Banire was predicated on his involvement in anti-party activities including joining forces with other political parties to undermine APC’s victory in the July 22, 2017 local council polls.
The protesters arrived at the State House at about 12:45pm in fully loaded 20 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses chanting anti-Banire’s songs and carrying placards with inscription such as “Banire must go,” “Banire enough is enough.”
Martins, who read the protest letter before handing it to Kehinde Bamigbetan, special adviser to Governor Ambode on community and communication, alleged that Banire’s posture had continued to cause the party embarrassment.
With reference to Article 21 of the APC constitution, Martins went further to list Banire’s alleged atrocities to include sponsoring cronies to write and cause to publish advertorials against the APC and granting interviews to embarrass and have adverse effect on the party to the extent of attracting hatred, contempt, ridicule and disrepute upon the party.
Others, according to the group spokesperson, are negligent in duties as the national legal adviser to defend the party and the party’s interest, carrying out unauthorised publicity of a party dispute without exhausting all avenues for settlement or redress within the party, causing a legal representative to disavow the party in a law suit, inciting the public against the interest of the party, among others. The protesters also went to the state secretariat of the APC on Acme Road, near Ogba, to lodge the complaints.
Addressing the protesters at Alausa, on behalf of the governor, Kehinde Bamigbetan assured that their letter would be delivered to the governor. He equally condemned the alleged anti-party activities of Banire, and called on the leadership of the APC to consider expelling him from the party.

 

JOSHUA BASSEY