Southwest monarch roasted over Tinubu’s censure

A traditional ruler from the southwest region of Nigeria, Oba Oladipo Olaitan’s call on the national assembly to impeach President Bola Tinubu over alleged ‘conflict of interest’ has attracted condemnation.

Olaitan had succeeded Ayo Adebanjo—a well-known Tinubu opponent —as factional leader of Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere.

Reacting to Tinubu’s remarks at the commissioning of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway (phase I), in Lagos, wherein he addressed the Hi-Tech Construction chairperson Gilbert Chagoury as his ‘partner in daring’, Olaitan believed it was an admission of a business relationship.

The monarch said the president’s admission indicated a ‘conflict of interest’ and amount to an impeachable offence. But, in the president exact words, he had referenced the past efforts taken to halt the surging of the Atlantic Ocean while he was governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007.

“All President Tinubu is doing is building a road to his own (Eko) Atlantic City,” Oba Olaitan told the Punch.

“He (Tinubu) openly said the contractor is his partner. That means he awarded a federal contract to himself.

“That road was not advertised for public bidding. It is a national shame. If we had a truly independent and vibrant National Assembly, they would have begun impeachment proceedings immediately.

“I am calling on the National Assembly to start the impeachment process now …if they are not equally complicit. We can’t condone such a thing,” the monarch said.

However, Oba Olaitan’s impeachment call is “a joke taken too far”, says Seye Oladejo, spokesperson for the Lagos chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“Maybe they need to consult their dictionary to understand what ‘partner’ means. Did he say business partner? He didn’t say they have any relationship or any incorporated firm where they both have shares. He called them ‘partners in daring’; people who believed in his vision and joined in pursuing it,” he said.

Oladejo added, “Relevant authorities handled the contract process. If there’s any issue, it should be addressed through the appropriate channels, not through calls for impeachment.”