There are emerging indications that the immediate past
Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, have come
under pressure to fight back in the prevailing skirmishes to
destroy his political career. A party source close to the
former Lagos Governor revealed to National Daily that
Ambode has warned that the continuous attack against him
after being denied the ticket of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in Lagos State for a second term in the
2019 governorship election and obstructing his opportunity
for ministerial appointment has gone beyond tolerance
boundary. The source said that the former governor at an
emergency meeting with his loyalists, warned that “enough
is enough” threatening that further attacks would provoke
him to open the can of worms on the running of Lagos
State Government from 1999.
Our source, who appealed for anonymity, said that the
former Lagos Governor observed at the meeting that the
Tuesday episode in which the operatives of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had their plot to
allegedly plant foreign currencies at his residence in Epe
foiled by the people signaled a turning point that the battle
against him is changing pattern and that he is prepared to
fight back henceforth. The disappointment of the EFCC in
the plot to raid Ambode’s residence on Tuesday was said to
be a mark of stalemate in the power tussle in Lagos State.
Ambode was said to have cautioned that his calmness and
loyalty should not be taken as weakness, adding that the
empire may collapse when the battle is broadly opened.
National Daily investigation revealed that Ambode had fore-
knowledge of the EFCC plan to raid his two residence in
Lagos; and waited for them, mobilizing the people. An EFCC
source disclosed to National Dailythat there was division in
the commission over the assignment to raid Ambode’s
residence while investigations were still going on on the
petition against the former governor.
The source said that some of the operatives were
suspicious that the impromptu search would obstruct
transparency of the investigations which may make the
findings and conclusions misleading. It was purported that
in the midst of the disagreement and insistence of some
senior officials that the operation must take place, that
some other officials loyal to the former Lagos State
governor put him on notice about the plot to raid his
residence in Lagos.
It was alleged that while the operatives were to deepen
their corruption investigations, there was also the intention
to cart away certain documents with inherent records that
could indict or incriminate some top party leaders and
government officials in Lagos State when those documents
are exposed to the public. The documents were said to
contain details of payments and circumstances such
payments were made to each recipient. Our source that the
documents were targeted to be taken away from Ambode’s
residence for destruction so that evidence of alleged
corruption that may come up against many leaders in the
state would be destroyed. Fortunately, or unfortunately,
Ambode had prior knowledge of the strange visit to his
residence by the EFCC and put necessary structures in
place for resistance.
Members of Epe community – both old and young, men and
women – were waiting, lawyers were waiting, selected
journalists were waiting, and that was how the EFCC plot
was foiled,” our source declared.
It was noted that in furtherance of the vigilance and
preparedness of the former Lagos governor to fight back
that his team of lawyers issued a statement in Lagos on
Tuesday after the EFCC episode.
In the statement captioned: “The attempt of the EFCC
officials led by Rotimi Oyedepo, Esq to incriminate the EX
Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, with foreign currency;
resisted by young lawyers in Epe”, the team of lawyers
which comprise of Fatai A. Adebanjo, Esq., Busari M.
Olanrewaju, Esq. and Samson K. Okuneye, Esq. narrated that
in early hours of Tuesday, they were duly briefed that some
EFCC officers invaded the apartment of Ambode with the
intention to search the premises.
The lawyers on arrival at the residence held consultations
with the EFCC officials to inquire and confirm if they had
search warrant for the operation.
The lawyers said they objected when the EFCC officials
attempted to prevent them from entering the house with
them, insisting on only the EFCC officials going into the
house for the search operations.
“Before they entered, we searched all the officials of the
EFCC who intended to go in to effect the search.
“There was a blue bag which they were holding with them,
we requested to see the content of the bag before they
could take it in. They got angry and said we cannot see the
content. Having said that, we strongly resisted them to take
it in since they can’t allow us to see it, which they later
agreed. We later got to know that the bag contained foreign
currency which they brought to plant in the house of the
Ex-Governor to incriminate him,” the lawyers declared in the
statement they jointly signed.
The lawyers further said: “All documents, including the State
Executive Exco Meetings Vol 1 – 16 in the personal study of
the ex-Governor and His Luggage room which they intended
to take along with them for further investigation was
resisted by us as we told them that failure to take records
of all the documents from A-Z, they cannot go out with
anything and they agreed with us.”
The lawyers maintained: “Flowing from the aforesaid, they
searched the nooks and crannies of the Ex Governor’s
house and they couldn’t find any incriminating documents
or materials. We authoritatively assert that, they did find
anything in the house and they didn’t leave the house with
anything.
“We followed them as they entered from one place to the
other, when our presence was intimidating them, they said
we should sit down while they will do the search. We
resisted that we must follow them to observe every of their
activities in the premises.”
Our source added that the episode of Tuesday brought the
attack against the former governor to a stalemate, noting
that all parties now have access to power at the national
level; and that the governor is now ready to fight in the
open.
Our source stated that the former governor has purportedly
threatened to leak documents on expenditures, contracts,
official and unofficial or ‘royalty’ payments to former
governors and others in Lagos State if he is pushed to the
wall.
