Lagos Assembly throws out petition accusing member of collecting $200,000 bribe

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday dismissed a petition accusing Hon. Moshood Oshun, the lawmaker representing Lagos Mainland Constituency 2, of receiving $200,000 bribe.

It was alleged that the lawmaker collected the sum from three companies in order to cover up for their non-performing contracts worth over N9bn awarded to them by the immediate past Akinwunmi Ambode administration.

The petition was submitted to the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudasiru Obasa, by an anti-corruption campaign organization, Stop Corruption Now Initiative, and signed by its President, Barrister Olakunle Omisade.

In the petition, Hon. Osun, Chairman of the House ad-hoc Committee on Environmental Sanitation, was accused of collecting the said illicit money from contractors who were awarded various contracts bordering on the environment by the Akinwumi Ambode administration to the tune of N9bn paid upfront against established rules.

The said companies are: Quality Sanctuary Services Limited, Jane Rin International Services Limited and Blue Bridge Marine Services Limited.

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Raising the issue under urgent matter of public importance on Thursday, Hon. Tunde Braimoh stated that the Speaker sent the petition to the House Committee on Public Petition, LASIEC, Human Rights and Judiciary, which he chaired, on Tuesday.

Hon. Braimoh noted that the address of the petitioner was not traceable and that there was no phone number where the petitioner could be located.

“The committee considered this and noted that the petitioner could not be located. We noticed some discrepancies in the petition, which he said was frivolous and smack of acrimony.

“It is a criminal offence that attracts punishment. The petitioner is not even available to establish his case. Under the rules of the House, the petitioner ought to disclose his address,” he said.

The committee then recommended that the petition should be struck out because the petitioner was faceless, adding that members of the public should embrace decorum in approaching the house and beware of information in the social media.

This was supported by Hon. Desmond Elliott (Surulere 2), who commended the Speaker for the way the issue was handled.

Contributing to the matter, the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu 1), stated that the writer of the petition had a motive which could be malicious and scandalous.

Agunbiade stressed that the petition was submitted to the house with the hope that they would take action on it only for the writers to go to the social media.

He added that the rate at which the matter was handled was to embarrass the person whose name was mentioned in the petition.

Obasa thanked the committee “for the quick action of the report.”

He added that the members should disregard “the frivolous petition.”

The house agreed that petition be thrown out.

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