Obasa’s rebellion against Sanwo-Olu in show of ego tripping, self-interest
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa has explained he instigated fellow lawmakers to reject 17 of the 39 Commissioners nominated by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu because “I have to protect the interests of Lagosians and our party.”
Obasa, who has also threatened to pass a bill to protect the properties of Lagos “indigenes”, was taking a dig at Sanwo-Olu in a video clip shown on Arise Television by suggesting the Governor has not been catering to the needs of Lagosians and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Some of the rejected nominees are well qualified technocrats who served creditably in Sanwo-Olu’s first term. But they are from other states. So the message Obasa is tacitly pushing is for native Lagosians to populate the state cabinet.
However, that reasoning does not hold water if Lagos is to remain a state that thrives on using the best talented residents from anywhere in the country, a practice adopted by President Bola Tinubu during his very successful tenure as Lagos Governor.
Tinubu has chosen and controlled every Lagos Governor since he ended his own stint in Alausa in 2007 after serving for eight years from 1999. He now holds federal power in Aso Rock but has not voluntarily relinquished his stranglehold on the commercial capital, his fat cash cow.
When Tinubu was Governor, he established Alpha Beta by proxy as a tax consultant/collector for the state, according to Bode George, a chieftain of state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Since then, Alpha Beta has been collecting taxes for the Lagos treasury through extortionate charges and levies on businesses amounting to N60 billion in monthly internally generated revenue (IGR), with Alpha Beta/Tinubu getting a 15 per cent cut, which, at the current level, translates into N9 billion per month, George said.
The hornet’s nest Abasa stirred between himself and Sanwo-Olu splinters up the state APC and may fester to dismantle the Tinubu dynasty in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu faces a double whammy of jitters
Sanwo-Olu is already jittery over his possible sack by the Lagos Election Petition Tribunal which has reserved judgment in the petition filed by Olajide Adediran, popularly called Jandor, the governorship candidate of the PDP, who alleged the Governor contested the election on March 18 with a forged certificate.
Sanwo-Olu has kept silent on the insurgency in the Lagos Assembly, but Obasa spoke with plenty bravado in the tape played on Arise Television, tellingthose interested in the rejection of the nominees to “approach the House.”
His words: “Anybody interested in knowing why we took such decisions should approach the House.
“The House, as a body, restrained itself from exposing what was discovered during the screening exercise and we would not be forced to spill it.
“The House came up with so many resolutions, which the executive did not carry out. Nobody has noticed nobody has said anything about that.
“So, I don’t know what informed the erroneous belief that the House is fighting the Governor.
“We must get this right, that we have our constitutional responsibility and have exercised the responsibility by clearing some and denying some and we have our reasons for saying no, which I believe people making inputs left and right do not know.
“We must understand what political party is all about. It is about a group of people who aspire to gain power, so we have had the power since 1999 and we have to sustain it.
“We must protect our party. We’ve had technocrats in the past and these would come and go but we will remain.
“So, I am trying to protect my party and I would continue to do that. We are not going to sacrifice service to our people in the name of technocrats, no.
“We have said no and it remains so. If there is any reason for us to reverse our decision, if there is a germane and convincing reason, I think we will, but not by threat.
“We are politicians, if not for us the technocrats wouldn’t be appointed. It was due to our success that they got appointed, and to our estimation, if they had not done well I think we have the right to say no and we have said no.
“We are not going to be threatened but it is good to advise a man living in a glass house not to throw stones, if not the glass may soon be shattered.”
Obasa later maintained at Assembly plenary the lawmakers did a thorough screening, saying all nominees were allowed to express themselves as their past, present, and future were probed.
Kehinde Joseph (APC, Alimosho Constituency II) urged Sanwo-Olu to consider APC members who worked for its electoral victory in the general election.
He added: “People have been calling us (politicians) thieves, but they forget that we are closer to the people. What do these so-called technocrats know about the community or wards?
“The secret there is that whenever the executives sit during the executive council meetings, they want them to discuss issues affecting people at the grassroots.
“I want to urge our Governor that whenever he decides to choose a Commissioner, he should first consider those of us they have tagged irresponsible.
“In Alimosho, we delivered 87,000 votes, there is no time these things will not come back to haunt us. Areas that have the largest votes are Alimosho, Mushin, Agege, Ifako-Ijaye and Kosofe local government areas.
“If we don’t encourage those who worked for the party to benefit, they feel betrayed and that is what affected us (APC) in the last general elections. Most party members are not happy over this. The party leaders should ensure that those who worked for the party are compensated.”
A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Election is different from appointment. The Governor should pick two Commissioners/Special Advisers, the Deputy Governor should pick two Commissioners/Special Advisers, and let the Speaker and other members pick the 35 Commissioners/Special Advisers based on the performance of each constituency.
“Otherwise, Sanwo-Olu should look inwards and appoint those that slaved day and night to get him elected for a second term.”
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Related articles:
Rhodes-Vivour berates Obasa for mulling indigeneship law in Lagos
Sanwo-Olu jittery as tribunal reserves judgment over his alleged WAEC certificate forgery
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Background to cold war
“The cold war between the Governor and the Speaker is what could be regarded as the battle of supremacy. It has nothing to do with citizenship or who is an indigene and who is not,” another source told Vanguard.
“He is fighting against engaging more technocrats in Sanwo-Olu’s administration than politicians who fought for the victory of the party during the last general elections.
“He has been meeting with the entire council Chairmen in all the different wards to get their loyalty on the issue. Obasa is not a Lagosian and he cannot be fighting for indigenes or non-indigenes.
“Obasa is fighting against the Commissioner-nominees’ list that is dominated by technocrats instead of politicians who fought for the stability of the party. He is not alone on this issue. He is just the spokesperson and Sanwo-Olu needs to listen to the prayer.”
Some APC loyalists claimed some nominees are known in their constituencies, others insisted they did not contribute to the success of the party in the last general election.
Obasa said: “We are the representatives of the people, the mouthpiece, the ears and the sight of the people, We have been given the responsibility by the constitution and we have done what we believe was the best in deciding what should be the best for the state.
“We won’t allow people, who do not understand what it is all about, We have to guide them and we must protect our party, I have the right to protect my party and I will continue to do that but we are not going to sacrifice service to the people in the name of technocrats.
“The technocrats, who were rejected, do not know their Wards. They all travelled out during the general elections. The victory of the party was inconsequential to them.
“If we all had travelled out and didn’t vote for Sanwo-Olu, would he be in a position to appoint the rejected nominees, who don’t know their wards and polling units?
“There is no basis for me and the House to fight the governor, who is a brother, a friend, a colleague in serving the people of Lagos State.”
Obasa on revenge mission, says state APC member
A top state APC member wondered why the noise about the rejection of 17 Commissioner-nominees is so loud that one can hear it in distant New Zealand, the farthest country from Nigeria.
All the blame should not be heaped on Sanwo-Olu, he argued.
“Out in the public domain, it is alleged that the Lagos Speaker, by the rejection of 17 nominees, is out on a vengeance mission because it is said that Sanwo-Olu did not want him back for a third or fourth or fifth term as Speaker, although the man in the eye of the storm has denied any rift between him and the Governor,” the source said.
“It is taking the intelligence of Lagosians for a ride for the Assembly not to disclose the reasons for the disqualification of the 17 nominees, who many believe performed well in the eyes of the public in the first term. If the motive is sincere, why not disclose their offences?
“Now, the Speaker insists the House has valid reasons for rejecting the 17 nominees, asking those who cared to know to approach the House for reasons for their disqualification.
“In some LGs, like Lagos Island, where more than three names were forwarded, what do they expect the Governor to do? Use his discretion or not?
“In some LGs, where the three or four GAC members did not agree on three names to be submitted, what is expected of the Governor in this circumstance?
“In some LGs, like Somolu, where a GAC leader submitted a different list from the one LG council Chairmen submitted, which list should prevail?
“If the leaders agreed to send three names from every local government to the Governor, how is he to know all leaders met to agree on the three names?
“In some local government areas like Mushin, it is revealed that the only GAC member there submitted two names for his caucus (Mrs Ayoola, who has now been appointed as Special Adviser (non-cabinet) and another nominee from another caucus that has its leader while a third caucus submitted a third name!
“Is it fair for that leader where there are three caucuses, namely Justice Forum, Mandate Movement and Ideal Club, to pick a name for his caucus and go ahead to pick a name for another caucus that has a distinct leader who is pro-Tinubu as against someone he picked who has leaning to the pro-Aregbesola Mandate caucus?
“It is also said that in Mushin Local Govt, the GAC member’s caucus alone has the council Chairman, Vice Chairman, council Secretary, council Legislative Leader, and LGA party Chairman.
“Is that lopsidedness just and fair to the Justice Forum and Mandate Movement?
“In that situation, should the Governor go along with that GAC/Ideal leader, Ganiyu Olawale Solomon, fondly called GOS, and allow him to pick a nominee for another caucus?
“In a local government like Alimosho, where a GAC member, who is of Justice Forum, and other pro-Tinubu Mandate members submitted names, is it right to pick a name of a pro-Aregbesola member for the cabinet? Pro-Aregbesola group in the area already has five of the six local government Chairmen in Alimosho.
“Is the Assembly not right to reject such a name? Should the anti-Tinubu group of Aregbesola continue to dominate in Alimosho when they worked for the Labour Party in the presidential election?
‘No loser or winner in this situation’
“How true are the stories that some nominees do not have PVCs while those, who have got PVCs registered in different areas than where their names emerged as nominees?
“Is it true a name emerged from Surulere that there was no consensus on? Who nominated the name from there? Is it the Governor or someone else?”
“If these issues are diligently looked into, it will be discovered that both the accused and the accusers have faults here and there.
“There can be no loser or winner in this situation, but to peacefully and fairly look into the merits and demerits of all cases and resolve them as a family.
“If not, the Governor, the legislators and the GAC members will stand condemned if the glory/unity of our party is sacrificed on the altar of muscle-flexing and inequalities.”