By Bilesanmi Abayomi
The Lagos State House of Assembly has received petition from the Concerned Members of APC Ikosi-Isheri LCDA over its Chairman, Mayoress Samiat Bada’s alleged use of public funds to bankroll PDP electioneering activities of her husband in Ogun State.
SEE: Council Chair, aides silent on allegations of using council money to fund anti-party activities
Addressing the lawmaker, the leader of the group, Mr Seyi Odufowokan, said this 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 its LCDA chairperson had been engaging in anti-party activities by misappropriating the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA funds to fund 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 Abubakir.
“We have it on good authority that Hon. Tola Banjo who was the former Deputy Speaker of 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 Ikoso-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 means was that Bada considered herself as 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 a loyal and faithful members of APC, they were very much disturbed and shocked by this 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 is taken over it.
Odufowokan noted that the people had lost total confidence and trust in the chairman 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, pray for the immediate impeachment or suspension of Princess Samiat Bada as the Chairperson of Ikosi/ Isheri LCDA to save the local council from political mishap ahead of 2023 general elections.
Receiving the petition, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa promised to immediately begin 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 look into by the committee on 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.”
Also, the protesters went to the state party Secretariat in Acme and governor’s office to register and submit their petition over the allegation against the Bada.