Thousands Of Lagos Residents Rally For Ikuforiji

Thousands of protesters stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly this morning in protest of what they described as undue intimidation of the Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji.

The protesters came under the aegis of the Stand Up for Lagos Group.

It was learnt that the group decided to storm the House after learning that the Civil Society Network Against Corruption. (CSNAC) would be protesting the Speaker’s abdication of duties since his corruption trial began.

However, when press sought to speak with some of them, it was obvious that many of the protesters could not tell what their agitation was.

They only carried placards which read: “Don’t distract Ikuforiji from his patriotic commitments,” “Falana Pay Your Tax,” “Ikuforiji is working, our House is working,” “Let the Speaker continue the good work,” “Stop prosecuting Nigeria’s best Speaker, stop hunting Ikuforiji.”

Some of them, who could speak reported that it had become known that some politicians in the state are using civil society groups to call for the stepping down of Ikuforiji as the Speaker of the House pending the outcome of court which is trying him for alleged corruption.

One of the protesters, Bisi Ade, explained that some of the politicians were using civil society groups and some notable lawyers in the state to fight for the Speaker’s removal.

“I can tell you that their ultimate aim is to get him removed and kill his future career,” she said.
A leaflet by the group with the title: ‘Shun This Malicious Jamboree,’ said the group would soon expose all those behind the Speaker’s travails.

While slamming the CSNAC, the group said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had no case against Ikuforiji adding that the House is not a “printing and minting corporation where money is printed.”

Leader of the group, Gbenga Osobu, said the group which cuts across the entire state would continue to support the Speaker.

Saka Dayo Fafunmi, the lawmaker who received them, said he was supposed to join his other colleagues in solidarity with the Speaker whose trial continued today at the court, but missed the bus.

Fafunmi said the House was on recess because there were no plenary issues to deal with as against the belief that it was shut for the Speaker’s trial.

“If you look at the case that has taken the speaker to court, it is not a case of Ikuforiji, but the Speaker of the House versus the EFCC, but because the issue is in court, we would not want to go further,” he added.