Sanwo-Olu absolves self from leadership contest
Prominent leaders of Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Lagos East Senatorial District, Bashorun Olorunfunmi, and Kaoli Olusanya, yesterday, said the lawmaker representing Epe I in the Lagos Assembly, Abiodun Tobun, was yet to intimate them about his ambition to contest the Speakership of the 10th Lagos Assembly with the incumbent Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.
The duo, who are also members of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), told The Guardian that they also read the story on social media as every other citizen of the state.
They denied being privy to any meeting on how to support Tobun to displace Obasa as Speaker. Their reactions are coming on the heels of a social media report entitled: “Speakership crisis rocks Lagos Assembly as Abiodun Tobun leads race.”
The report claimed that leaders of the ruling APC in the state have resolved to stop Obasa from coming back for a third term.The story also claimed that the leaders, including the head of the GAC, Tajudeen Olusi, were said to have held a meeting after the elections, where they concluded that the next Speaker must be an indigene of the state.
The report also claimed that the mood within the party and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s implicit disapproval of the attitude of Obasa, led to his indisposition to Obasa’s third term bid.
Olorunfunmi said: “As one of the leaders of the party in Lagos East where Tobun is from, I have not been told anything and the party is yet to discuss something like that. Tobun himself did not tell me anything.”
Olusanya also said he was yet to be intimated about Tobun’s speakership ambition. He said the lawmakers have the independent right to determine who leads them since the legislative arm is an independent body. He, however, urged the lawmakers to consult very well, especially with the party’s leadership, before taking any decision, saying: “That’s the beauty of Lagos APC democracy and its internal mechanism of handling issues.”
Meanwhile, Spokesman to the Governor, Gboyega Akosile, said: “Governor Sanwo-Olu is an astute democrat, who understands the principle of separation of powers and the independence of the legislative arm of government. He will never meddle in the affairs of the legislators.”
Akosile, who described the author of the said report as being deliberately ‘mischievous,’ said: “The governor has always had cordial relationship with the Assembly and moreover, he (Sanwo-Olu) has no issue with Obasa and therefore would not have instigated any uprising in the Assembly.”
Also, Lagos APC Spokesman, Seye Oladejo, urged members of the public to regard whatever they read on election of leadership of the 10th Assembly in the realm of rumour.
He said: “APC has a solid internal mechanism to address issues and this will not be an exception. When the time comes, the need would be done and the citizens of Lagos will know who the next Speaker is.”
He also said the legislative arm is an independent body that is free to determine who leads it.
