Governor Sanwo-Olu initiates an investigation and refutes accusations of suing the EFCC.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, has refuted claims that he filed a lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a purported threat to detain, arrest, and prosecute him following his term in office.
Lawal Pedro, SAN Hon. Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State, presented the rebuttal on Tuesday.
According to reports, Sanwo-Olu filed a basic rights enforcement suit against the EFCC before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja through his attorney, Darlington Ozurumba.
Rebuttal
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the governor asked seven questions and requested eleven reliefs in the original summons, which was filed on June 6 and was designated FHC/ABJ/CS/773/2024.
Sanwo-Olu reportedly requested a ruling that under and by virtue to Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, “the plaintiff, as a Nigerian citizen, is entitled to the right to maintain his or her private life as the bare essential encapsulated under the Constitution of the Republic of Nigeria, 1999 before, during, and after occupation of public office created by the Constitution.”
According to the report, the governor claimed that the EFCC’s plan to arrest him was unconstitutional and a blatant infringement on his fundamental right to freedom of movement and personal liberty, which is protected by Sections 35(1) & (4) and 41(1) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) Constitution.
In response, the AG rejected the report’s findings.
“We must make it clear that Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu never filed a lawsuit or asked a lawyer to do so on his behalf in relation to the aforementioned subject matter.”Additionally, it is dishonest for the governor, who has nearly three years left until he expires and enjoys protection granted by the Constitution, to brief any attorney on such a subject.
“To the best of my knowledge and research, the EFCC is not looking into the Governor and has never asked him to do so or threatened to arrest any of his employees, whether they are domestic or not.We’re looking into how the case got started without our knowledge,” he stated.
In terms of providing services and managing public resources sensibly and wisely, he continued, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been a model.
“Therefore, when Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu eventually leaves office at the end of his tenure in May 2027, he has nothing to fear because he is working diligently on ways to improve the living conditions of all Lagosians,” he continued.
He advised media outlets to exercise caution while publishing these kinds of reports.
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