Ruling on the application on Thursday, Justice Yetunde Adesanya held that court lacked the jurisdiction to stop the lawmakers from going ahead with the probe. The judge ruled that the ad-hoc committee set up to investigate Ambode was a fact-finding committee and not an indictment.

The judge said “The claimant (Ambode) has not been indicted. An invitation by an agency of government cannot in anyway cause a breach of the threat of the fundamental rights of the claimant. I hereby find that the claimant’s action is an invitation to the court to cripple the legislative exercise of the statutory power of the Lagos State House of Assembly under Section 128 and 129 of the 1999 Constitution. That is not the function of the court, and no court of law should accede such invitation. The claimant’s suit is hereby struck out.”

The lawmakers’ decision came following Wednesday’s ruling by an Ikeja Division of the Lagos State High Court ordering all parties in a suit filed by Ambode against the lawmakers to maintain status quo, while it adjourned till November 20 for the next hearing.

Addressing journalists shortly after a brief sitting by the committee to announce its decision, its chairman, Fatai Mojeed, said the matter was adjourned indefinitely as the committee got a court order to stay action on the matter and that they had to respect the opinion of the court.

He said “We are lawmakers, we are not law breakers, which was why we had to adjourn the matter indefinitely. The people of Lagos should be expecting more from us.”

The court adjourned the matter brought before it by Ambode, against the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa in connection with the ongoing probe of procurement of 820 buses by Ambode’s administration.

Justice Adesanya adjourned till 20th of November, 2019 for the respondents in the matter to respond to the plaintiff’s application. Adesanya had on 29th, October 2019 ordered the Speaker and some members of State House of Assembly to appear before the court after hearing a motion ex-parte moved by Ambode’s lawyer, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN).

Other defendants are the Clerk of the House, A. A. Sanni, who signed the newspaper ads, inviting Ambode to the House by 2pm; Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee set up by the House to probe the procurement, Fatai Mojeed; and members of the Committee: Gbolahan Yishawu, A. A. Yusuff, Yinka Ogundimu, Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, M. L. Makinde, Kehinde Joseph, T. A. Adewale and O. S.

The lead counsel to the respondents, Adenike Oshinowo prayed the court to give them time to respond to the application because it was received late.

As at last week, the state Assembly threatened to issue a warrant of arrest for Ambode if he continues to ignore the invitation to appear before its committee for questioning.

When the matter was brought before the house, the chairman of the investigation committee, Fatai Mojeed, told lawmakers that the immediate past Commissioners for Finance, Akinyemi Ashade and Special duties Oladejo Seye, who served under Ambode, had written to the committee notifying them of their absences as they were currently out of the country. Mojeed told his colleague that Ambode once again shunned the committee.

The Speaker, Mudasiru Obasa has said the house will send Ambode’s invitation publicly through newspaper publications and that if he fails to appear again, then a warrant for his arrest will be issued immediately.

In a statement released by his media aide, Habib Aruna, Ambode spoke on the backdrop of a search by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on his Epe Country home and Parkview Ikoyi residence, where the anti-graft agency conducted the exercise without any incident.

The statement reads: “This morning, operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission visited the Epe Country home and Parkview Ikoyi residence of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, former Governor of Lagos State, with warrants to conduct a search. These searches were carried out extensively and at the end of the exercise the operatives left without any incident. The former Governor reiterates that the EFCC has till date not had any direct communication with him on any subject matter whatsoever and if or when it occurs he is ready and willing to respond. The former governor wishes to assure his supporters and the generality of Lagosians to continue to remain calm and law-abiding as there is no cause for alarm.”

Tony Orilade, EFCC spokesman, confirmed this to TheCable, that the antigraft agents stormed Ambode’s Epe residence at about 9am and are currently carrying out a search of the house.

The search comes few weeks after the EFCC secured an order to freeze three bank accounts said to belong to the Lagos State Government over an alleged fraud of N9.9 billion. The three bank accounts, domiciled in First City Monument Bank, Access Bank, and Zenith Bank, are numbered 5617984012, 0060949275 and 1011691254, respectively and were opened during the Ambode administration.

The EFCC had approached the court for an order for the accounts to be frozen pending the conclusion of investigation and possible prosecution of the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief of Staff to Ambode, Adewale Adesanya.

The governor has since denied claims that the accounts are linked to him

Eedris released a song accompanied with a lengthy farewell message on social media.

He wrote “Akinwunmi Ambode who came into office on May 29, 2015, is going to leave a very big pair of shoes that will be hard to fill in the Alausa government house when he eventually hands over the reins of power to Babajide Sanwo Olu on the 29th of this month of May 2019, after 4 years of uncommon achievements and meritorious service’. It’s note worthy to remark at this juncture that most Lagosians including myself felt cheated when Ambode was denied a second term ticket by his party for some filmsy excuses bordering on his alleged “party apathy” or something akin to that!

For a governor who achieved so much in such a short time to be dropped like that without recourse to the true feelings of Lagosians as against the feelings of a few party faithfuls smacks of negligence and nonchalant attitude on the part of the state party hierarchy and machinery! This is my personal view of the matter which of course corresponds with the feelings of most Lagosians I have had the privilege to speak with on this matter. Personally, I am going to miss Akinwunmi Ambode! I am going to miss his unbiased and wide range developmental strides. I am going to miss his good naturedness.

I am going to miss his undiluted and sincere love for the creative arts! I am going to miss all his well laid plans of action for the emerging Lagos mega City. I am going to miss his love for the State and all Lagosians. I’ll definitely miss triple A for who he is! No Lagosian worth his Salt will be uncharitable enough to deny the positive impact of Ambode’s four years tenure, and no one living and working in the state will deny not ever feeling the positive energy and charisma of his administration!

No human being is infallible, so Ambode has his own short comings too. But as a leader, I will always hail and appreciate him because he undoubtedly performed marvellously well. I hope and pray that his tomorrow will be better than his today. And for his detractors, I can only say that time alone will be the judge! As a social crusader, activist and a performing artiste, I pray that we have an Ambode in Aso Rock soon so that our nation Nigeria can attain the height destined for it!

With people like Ambode in the helm of affairs, the “jaga jagadness” of Nigeria can be overturned and cured for the betterment of our society and the entire citizenry. More blessings, honor, Power and grace my amiable governor Akinwunmi Ambode as you embark on the next phase of your illustrious life after May 29, 2019!

As I say farewell in this open missive to you Sir, I’ll be releasing a track I just recorded with same title (FAREWELL TO AMBODE) in commemoration of your unforgettable tenure as Lagos state governor. The single is my own token to Your Excellency for a wonderful job well done and is slated to hit the air in a couple of days! God bless you and yours our dear amiable Triple A…

With excess amount of Love from Eedris Abdulkareem..”