Lagos lawmakers to impeach Ambode for spending outside budget

Akin Olayemi

Lagos state Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has been given a week ultimatum by the State House of Assembly within which to appear before it and present the 2019 budget.

The Assembly leadership has accused the governor of spending outside the 2019 budget which is yet to be passed.

It would be recalled that Ambode last December sent the 2019 budget to the House against the tradition of laying the budget before the House.

Addressing lawmakers on Monday, Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, said it was important to give the governor a fair hearing over the 2019 budget.

He noted that there have been infractions and it is obvious that the attorney-general, finance commissioner and commissioner for budget and economic planning have failed to advise the governor.

He added “As lawmakers, it is our responsibility to let the people know that a budget that has not been approved is being spent, which is why we could not attend to the governor on the budget on Monday, January 21. We must let him come to explain what happened. You cannot commence expenditure without passing the budget. We call on the governor to come within a week to explain himself or we can start gathering signatures for impeachment,” he said.

The lawmakers had reacted to a report presented by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, who is the chairman of a committee set up to look into the issues surrounding the 2019 budget.

Eshinlokun-Sanni stated that the budget and economic planning commissioner, Segun Banjo, said no money had been spent for the year.

Eshinlokun added that the accountant-general told the committee that warrant had been issued that they could spend up to 20 per cent of the preceding budget before the approval of the budget for the New Year.

“We asked them to bring out the law that allows them to spend up to 20 per cent of the budget of the preceding year. They could not bring out such a law.”