Amuwo Odofin Residents Seek Tinubu's Intervention In Amuwo Odofin LG Crisis

 

Residents of Amuwo Odofin Local Government area of Lagos State have restated their demands for the leaders of the All Progress Congress (APC) and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to ensure that a Chairmanship aspirant in the area, who is also a former lawmaker in the eight Assembly, Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu is installed as the Chairman of the local government.

Barr. Chris Mosindi of Chris Mosindi & Co law firm, Olorunrinu's lawyer, while speaking with newsmen after the day's proceeding maintained that the matter before the State High Court deserved a fast hearing.

Mosindi added that he had received a lot of calls from many anxious residents of Amuwo Odofin, who had equally paid a visit to his office on the need for a speedy conclusion of the matter legally.

He added that this indicated that the people really voted for Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu and that there were evidences that they would later tender before the court to buttress this.

"I believe that on the next adjourned date, we will be in Court with all the evidences that affirm our stand on this matter, and I certainly believe we will reclaim his mandate.

"We have had six adjournments so far, but I blame it on our Nigerian Judicial system. Of course, we have to comply with the order of the court, “ Mosindi said.

Oluwasegun Kosoko, a youth leader in the area also registered his displeasure over the development, noting that anything short of restoration of Olorunrinu's mandate in Amuwo-Odofin will make the opposition hold sway there politically.

Kosoko stated that they were in the court for the sixth time as there had been series of adjournments, saying that Hon. Olorunrinu is like a young brother to him and that for him to decide to leave his work on a Thursday during break time to join him in court was a serious matter.

"This is important for me because I am here to represent the whole youths in Amuwo-Odofin who are angry.

"We supported Hon. Dipo because his ideology is accommodating, it is not because of anything, the matter here is a very simple one.

"The council's primary election is unprecedented in Amuwo-Odofin, the turn out recorded in the election has never been witnessed before in APC in the area because Hon. Dipo is sociable and down to earth.

"No matter what, he identifies with the people so well.
He rallied a lot of us to come out and cast our votes and we did.

"But eventually the name of the person who led thugs to beat us up, shot at us and disrupted the peace of the process was substituted having removed Dipo's name, how do you expect the community people to be happy," he said.

He then urged the party to do something now as 2023 was very close, adding that they could vote for the opposition if the party refused to restore the mandate to the rightful winner.

"They should just forget about the local government, the opposition will keep taking the lead on a platter of gold if they fail to address this.

"We all know how things are, if you visit the community today you will see that people are angry, they are not happy that the man in charge now is there.
Dipo is in court because of the people’s mandate wilfully given to him.

"Many are against him going to court but he is wise and many of us know that if he is the Chairman things will be better in the area of infrastructure and other development," he said.

Mr. Jamiu Oladiji, a member of Electrical and Electronics Association in Amuwo-Odofin noted that Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu is the preferred candidate of the residents.

Oladiji then called on the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the matter.

"Other bodies comprising different associations and FESTAC Residents Association are saying that we want Hon. Olorunrinu.

"The people voted for him during the primaries and we mobilised people to register with the party.

"What we are agitating for is that they should give us our mandate because we don't want Hon. Valentine Buraimoh as our chairman," he said.

Oladiji said that the matter should be given accelerated hearing by the court, saying that the people had waited enough.

Also speaking, the Iyaloja of Festac Town, Alhaja Riskat Sheila urged the APC leaders and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the matter and install Hon. Olorunrinu as the Chairman of the council.

"When we wanted to do primaries, we knew what Hon. Olorunrinu did and he ensured that many people were registered.

"His name was on the list as the winner of the primary election for days. We want Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give us our mandate,” she said.

Also speaking, the Secretary of Arewa Community in Amuwo Odofin LGA, Comrade Hamzat Abdullahi and the present Speaker of the entire northwest youths Assembly of Nigeria, said that they knew Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu through Hon. Dipo, saying that he should ensure that democratic process takes its course in Amuwo Odofin.

"It is the high time Tinubu intervened in the matter. His being silent on this is not fair to us, because Hon. Dipo remains a symbol of unity to us.

"Imagine his consistent kind gestures towards us during Sallah, but for him we wouldn’t have had a nice celebration and we value selfless relationship," he said.

It will be recalled that Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu was declared as the winner of the primaries of the election last year before his name was replaced with that of Hon. Valentine Braimoh, who has since been sworn-in as the Chairman of the local government for a second term.

Hon. Olorunrinu later took Hon. Valentine Braimoh and the party to court and the case is being handled by Hon. Justice Toyin Oyekan-Abdullahi.