Inside Story Of Alleged “Unapproved” Mega Spending That Got Gov Ambode Into Impeachment Trouble With Lagos Assembly

Charles Oyelesi

It is true.

The Lagos State House of Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings to remove Governor Akinwumi Ambode from office.

Ambode has been officially notified of this development societynow.ng gathered.

Details As Lagos State House Of Assembly Officially Writes Gov Ambode On Impeachment Proceedings

The investigation conducted by societynow.ng revealed that the Lagos governor is about to lose his seat based on allegations surrounding his handling of the 2018 budget of the state – and the yet to be presented – before the Lagos House of Assembly – 2019 budget.

societynow.bg gathered that the Governor is accused of already dipping hands into state coffers and spending state funds – according to the 2019 budget that emanated from his office – without the approval of the Lagos state House of Assembly.

According to information available to societynow.ng, in the course of investigation that threw up the impeachable offenses, Ambode’s commissioners argued that the law gives the Governor the power to spend 25% of the state budget before passage by the state House of Assembly, but the Lawmakers corrected that the provision of the law states the power to spend 25% of the budget already presented and under scrutiny by the House of Assembly and not a yet to be presented budget.

Societynow.ng Lagos lawmakers stumbled onto the spending of the unapproved earmarked fund in the 2019 budget in the course of the investigation into alleged startling discoveries in the handling of the 2018 budget by the Governor.

One of the major allegations against Governor Ambode is reordering budget without recourse to the Lagos state House of Assembly.

‘’What this means is that after the Assembly passed the 2018 budget, the governor moved funds from one ministry to the other at will and these are major funds. And ordinarily, such actions require the approval of the State House of Assembly’’ a source explained.

Another allegation is withdrawing and spending billions of naira from the consolidated account without recourse to the Assembly.

Societynow.ng gathered that in the course of putting the 2018 budget to use, some commissioners and head of government agencies refused to appear before the State House of Assemble to defend funds allocated to their offices.

Checks by societynow.ng revealed that the development was a result of the underground political conflict that later denied Ambode a second term ticket.

The investigation conducted revealed that in reaching a compromise, the legislative arm ordered the movement of the funds of the ministries and agencies heads that failed to come and defend budgeted monies to a consolidated account.

‘’This was premised on the reasoning that when there is a need to withdraw from the account, the officer-in-charge of the projects at stake would appear before the house and justify the proposed spending’’ societynow.ng learned.

A review of the 2018 budget by House revealed that the Governor boycotted the stipulation of the house in making use of the fund in the consolidated account.

“And this is heavy fund we are talking about, in the region of billions of naira in hundreds fold” a source asserted.

Insiders disclosed that these allegations, decorated with use of power and adherence to rules of governance, form the bulk of impeachment allegations against the outgoing governor of Lagos state.