PROBE of the former Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has been halted by the Lagos High Court Ikeja on Wednesday till the determination of the court following a suit filed by Ambode.
Ambode filed a suit against the Speaker of the Lagos State Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, Clerk of the House and members of the probe committee over illegitimate procurement of 820 buses worth over N7 billion without budgetary approval.
The matter was adjourned pending the time the defendants of the suit will respond to the application filed by the former governor.
Lead counsels to the defendants, Adenike Oshinowo seek the court to give them time to respond to the application owing to the lateness in receiving it.
“We were served the notice very late yesterday and we shall be opposing the application and we are asking for a date,” she said.
The sitting judge on the case Y.A. Adesanya adjourned till 20th of November, 2019 for the respondents in the matter to respond to the plaintiff’s application.
Ambode alleged that the Lagos State House of Assembly of deliberately misrepresenting facts on the procurement of the 820 buses, saying was captured and approved by the Assembly in the 2018 Appropriation Law.
“In section 1 of the Bill, the 1st Defendant (House of Assembly) authorized the total Budget for the year 2018 to be One Trillion, Forty Six Billion, One Hundred and Twenty One Million, One Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty Naira (N1,046,121,181,680.00) comprising the sum of Three Hundred and Forty Seven Billion, Thirty-Eighty Million, Nine Hundred and Thirty-Eight Thousand, Eight-Hundred and Seventy-Two Naira (N347,038,938,872.00) only and Six Hundred and Ninety-Nine Billion, Eighty-Two Million, Two Hundred and Forty-Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Naira (N699,082,242,808.00) only as the Recurrent and Capital Expenditures respectively.
“Part of the items authorized by the Bill under Capital Expenditure was: “LAGBUS Public Transport Infrastructure (MEPB); Part financing of 820 buses” which was item 8 under schedule 1- Part C of the Bill,” the suit stated.
Adesanya however after suspended of the probe, ordered that status quo remain till the determination of the court.
Ambode is scheduled to appaear before the Lagos state Assembly ad-hoc committee on 820 buses probe after the speaker of the assembly had threatened to issue a warrant of arrest on the Ambode if he continues to ignore invites by the assembly.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94