APC MEMBERS PETITION SANWO-OLU, OBASA; PROTEST IKOSI-ISHERI LCDA CHAIRPERSON'S FUNDING OF OGUN PDP THROUGH HUSBAND

~Says Husband, Sister receiving N2.5m and 800k respectively on monthly basis from the LCDA

~Call For Her Immediate Suspension

Some members of the All Progressives Congress in Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, on Wednesday, stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly to protest and demand the immediate suspension of the Chairperson of the council, Princess Samiat Bada, over the use of the funds belonging to the council to bankroll PDP electioneering activities in Ogun state through her husband.

They also protested the monthly payment of N2.5m by the council Chairperson to her husband, Rt. Hon. Tola Banjo, a staunch member of PDP in Ogun state, on a monthly payment of N2.5m and the payment of N800,000 to her immediate sister Mrs. Toyibat Balogun.

The protesters numbering about 1000 had arrived at the State House of Assembly at about 9 am carrying placards with various inscriptions to show their grievances.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: "Samiat Must Go"; Governor Sanwo-Olu please save our souls, Suspend Samiat Bada"; "Mayoress Stop Using Our funds To Bankroll Your PDP husband"; Samiat Bada stop paying your PDP husband N2.5 million monthly"; Samiat Bada stop Paying your Sister N800,000 monthly" and Samiat Bada is working against APC and Asiwaju Tinubu".

Addressing the lawmaker, the leader of the group, Mr Seyi Odufowokan, said the development had caused a ruckus among the rank and file of the party members and was about to snowball into a huge political conflagration.

Odufowokan said it had come to their knowledge that their LCDA chairperson had been engaging in anti-party activities by misappropriating the council funds to bankroll her husband’s party in Ogun State.

He also alleged that Bada had been bankrolling the PDP political activities through her husband, Rt. Hon Tola Banjo, who was a staunch member of PDP in Ogun state and a die-hard Atiku loyalist.

“According to pictorial and electronic materials circulating on social media, Tola Banjo could be seen campaigning and raising the flag of PDP and vigorously campaigning for Atiku Abubakar.

“We have it on good authority that Hon. Tola Banjo who was the former Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly has been placed on a monthly payment of N2,500,000 by his wife for absolutely doing nothing and at the expense of the good people of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA.

“Apart from the monthly payment of N2.5 million, we also discovered that Princess Baba also bought six vehicles for Banjo in support of PDP political electioneering activities in Ogun state.

In addition to this, Tola Banjo is also earning an undisclosed huge amount of money from the collection of Tolls from granite-filled Tippers and Lorries coming into Lagos State through Ikosi-Isheri.

“The contract for the collection of tolls was awarded to him also by Princess Samiat Bada,” he said.

Odufowokan said to add salt to injury, Bada had also placed her immediate sister, Mrs Toyibat Balogun on a monthly payment of N800,000:00 with other allowances on the pretence of being the chairperson of the LCDA.

He said what this meant was that Bada considered herself the Chairman of the LCDA while her sister who was neither elected nor the wife of a council chairman was operating as the chairperson of the LCDA.

The convener said as loyal and faithful members of APC, they were very much disturbed and shocked by the ugly development and they strongly felt that it was capable of tearing the party totally apart in LCDA ahead of forthcoming general elections if no immediate action was taken over it.

Odufowokan noted that the people had lost total confidence and trust in the chairperson and could no longer abide by her atrocious administrative style, insensitivity and political excesses.

According to her, the issue of secret bankrolling of PDP electioneering activities in Ogun state is just one of her many political excesses.

He, therefore, prays for the immediate impeachment or suspension of Princess Samiat Bada as the Chairperson of Ikosi/ Isheri LCDA to save the local council from political mishaps ahead of 2023 general elections.

Receiving the petition, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa promised to immediately begin an investigation into the petition brought before the House, saying that she would not go unpunished if found culpable of the allegation.

Obasa, represented by Hon. Bisi Yusuff commended the protesters for embarking on a peaceful protest, saying that the petition would be looked into by the committee on the public petition before the House takes its decision on the issue.

He said: “This is the House of Assembly and not a party Secretariat but we will also channel your grievances to the party that the people are not happy with the allegation made against their council chairman.

” It is when our party emerge victorious that the members will be elected as lawmakers in the assembly, therefore we will not wait until this allegation affect the forthcoming election before we take steps once we found her guilty of the allegation preferred against her.”

The protesters also submitted a petition to the governor's office and later went to the state party Secretariat at Acme to submit their petition over the allegation against the Bada.