The Lagos State House of Assembly has strongly condemned the call for the probe of Governor of the state, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) allegedly made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by Chief Tunji Shelle, the Lagos State chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
Shelle was reported to have to have made the call on Sunday after a church service to mark his birthday. But speaking for the House, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy, Security and Publicity, Hon. Segun Olulade berated the PDP chairman for asking the anti-graft agency to investigate the governor when he ordinarily has no case.
He urged Lagosians to shun the PDP, saying the allegation of massive corruption alleged by the PDP against Fashola is the only way the Lagos PDP could express its frustration and desperation to rule the state, having failed to win the votes of the people in the last election. He said the House would continue to recognise the governor’s efforts in lifting the flag of the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Hon. Segun Olulade maintained that there was no occasion when the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly addressed the media or instructed standing committees of the House to begin the probe of ministries in the state.
According to him, the Lagos PDP knows too well that its rat race to capture Lagos is a lost battle from inception, and this is the more reason Lagos PDP is trying to fabricate lies to create disaffection between Governor Fashola, the Lagos State House of Assembly and ACN leaders.
“It is part of the constitutional responsibilities of the House to perform oversight functions on government Ministries, Departments and Agencies; and we have been carrying out this function on a regular basis since our assumption of office in June 2011, but we take exception to an unfounded, baseless, vindictive and malicious call for probe against Governor Fashola, who has been widely acknowledged as a model of good governance in Nigeria given his transparent honesty and brilliant performance in transforming Lagos State to its present megacity status.,” he said.
“The ‘massive corruption’ theory against Fashola by the Shelle-led Lagos PDP is a figment of the imagination of those failed politicians, witch-hunters and enemies of Lagos State who are head bent on destabilizing the state and distracting the government from carrying out its primary responsibility of raising the living standards of the good people of Lagos State.
He however challenged the PDP not to hesitate to come out to the open if they have proven evidence against Governor Fashola on which basis he could be probed instead of trying to malign his image and that of his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the desperate bid to capture Lagos State, adding that Lagosians are a very sophisticated, highly enlightened and vibrant people that cannot be cajoled by anyone or any party to score cheap political points.
