Lagos Speaker Threatens To Expose Fashola, Orders Assembly Committees To Begin Probe On Governor

With the collapse of his scheme to use Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos to quash the money laundering charges filed against him by the EFCC, embattled Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Sabitun Ikuforiji allegedly said to have returned from the court room towards the end of last month, April, to the Alausa, Ikeja Assembly complex spitting fire and brimstone, with a threat to expose Governor Babatunde Fashola who he accused of being the mastermind of the criminal charges against him. Four members of the Assembly who spoke to on the said imbroglio between him and the hardworking governor said the Speaker returned from the court disillusioned with anger all over his face. The presiding judge, Justice Okeke, gave a brief, impromptu ruling, alleging “blackmail”. “This case has witnessed an unprecedented delay by the prosecution and tactics set by persons to blackmail this court. In the interest of justice, I’ll transfer the case to another judge and hearing notices will be issued at a later date. This matter is hereby adjourned.” The EFCC had dragged the Speaker and his aide Oyebode Alade Atoyebi before the court over the allegation of accepting over N500million from the Assembly without passing through a financial institution. Reports from various online media had in the past exposed the bribery scheme between Ikuforiji and Okeke who is retiring from the bench next month. Though, the judge, we gathered, through a proxy called iReports-ng.com to deny he ever collected bribe from the speaker. The whole scheme however fell flat when Okeke opted out of the case without being able to fulfill his initial commitment to Ikuforiji to quash the case. With this frustration, the speaker stormed the Assembly complex immediately after the case and called all the standing committee chairmen to begin looking for evidences of corruption in ministries they oversee with a view to getting “some scoops to embarrass the governor.” According to one of the lawmakers who spoke on anonymity, “the speaker complained bitterly that the governor is the one behind his ordeal by paying the media and the EFCC to be on his case. He complained that the governor has not deemed it fit to pay his legal fees since the criminal charges against him began. The speaker also said he will not go down alone because he is only being accused of stealing N500 million when the governor is stealing in billions.” After raising all the dust, he went ahead to ask the committee chairmen to join him in the fight against Fashola by digging out dirt from the various ministries. How far can this war go? Only time will tell!