Group to Akiolu: You Don’t Have Such Powers
Irked by the
reported endorsement of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan
Akiolu, a political group in the state, the Visioners for New Lagos (VNL) insisted
at the weekend that the Lagos monarch did not have the kind of powers he
arrogated to himself but merely relished in grand illusion.
The group which
claimed it has been vindicated by the unguarded disposition of the “phantom Lagos
elders” as represented by Akiolu for which it raised the alarm some weeks ago,
said Akiolu had only veered off his brief by arrogating to himself, the right
and power to determine who governs Lagos.
Akiolu had Thursday at a book launch
said Ambode had been anointed a successor to Fashola in 2015.
"I
will not lie to you. The elders of Lagos have met and they have said that
Ambode should be governor. The elders have said Ambode should be the next
governor of Lagos State. Other aspirants have the right to aspire too. But I
will not open my eyes and allow the son of the Oba of Ewekoro to be the
governor. But all things are in the hand of God Almighty," he said.
Leader of the
group, Mr. Bambo Akin-Johnson said when the group drew the attention of the
public to the fact that “Tinubu and his business partner, Akiolu had endorsed
Ambode as Governor Fashola’s successor some weeks ago, Tinubu had denied in a
press statement, forcing many undiscerning to think it was a typical political
ranting.
“But today, that
would no longer be an issue. That they have come out of their hiding is good
for us. It has vindicated us and exposed them. It shows there is more to this
satanic endorsement than meets the eye. Unfortunately for them, they have made
their antics known early enough and the better for the challenge ahead,” he
said.
The group which
insisted it had no problem with Ambode aspiring to be governor of the state,
but must emerge through a credible process added that “if Akiolu could stoop so
low as to jettisoning every known decency and honour attributable to
monarchical institutions, then he should be ready to live with the consequences
of his actions.
“The monarch has
clearly out-stepped his bounds; he has bitten more than he can chew and has
taken more than he really can contain. He has stepped on the sensibilities of
the electorate by usurping their rights to choose through their votes, their
choice governor.
“If Akiolu wants
to play politics, he should take off his royal robe and prepare for a dog fight
by stepping on the arena? To think it is part of his role as a traditional
ruler to determine the choice of a democratic governor because he and his
business partner want to appropriate the state is a dream that will never be
reified, not in 2015 or thereafter.
“It is
particularly shameful that a Lagos Oba of his level would come down to such a
level to run errands for phantom elders all in the name of economic survival.
Has God not been good enough to a man who was not originally from any of the
royal families in the state to be made the Oba of Lagos? But now, it is obvious
they want to make this state a haven for non-indigenes and milk her resources
and even bequeath it to their cronies.
“Need we say
that we have had it full and that this is the final straw to this embarrassment
called the Lagos Oba and his co-travellers, who now see Lagos as their
enterprise? Since Ambode merits the job because he is the best accountant they
have ever seen, why not redeploy him to Alpha Beta, where he could help manage
the extension of Lagos wealth which is being diverted.
“We will fight
this monster of a leadership and Lagos elders and put a final stop to their extremism.
Since they have chosen to step out naked in the cold, we would not honour them
by offering a covering. At their level and status, they should be left to face
the consequences of their greed typified by palpable inanity. We insist, Lagos
is not the property of anyone person or group but a collective heritage that we
will all protect with our very last. Let Akiolu and his partners be warned.”
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