At last, Lagos Lawmakers Begins Screening Of Commissioner Nominees

Three weeks after stepping down the list of 25 nominees of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s for commissioners and special advisers, the Lagos State House of Assembly has begun their screening.

The exercise started on Thursday on the floor of the House after the lawmakers suspended plenary session and appointed a committee chaired by the Chief Whip, Mr Rotimi Abiru, to screen the nominees.

The 16-man committee is expected to report back to the House within one week.

Among the nominees are the immediate past Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, a former editor of ThisDay and Mr Gbenga Omotoso, editor of the Nation newspaper.

The nominees had earlier submitted 60 copies of their curriculum vitae to the office of the Clerk of the Assembly/Permanent Secretary for the screening.

The nominees are expected to appear before the whole House for further screening and confirmation at the end of the committee’s screening.

PersecondNews had reported that a smouldering resentment and rancour has pervaded the ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State over the 25 commissioner-nominees of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu transmitted to the State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation about two weeks ago.

Aggrieved senior party members have rejected the list as it did not reflect the “interest and wishes’’ of the party at local government and ward levels.

They described the list as a “betrayal of trust, abuse of the cult followership and commitment’’ of Lagosians to the party.

As a result of the crisis, it was learnt that the State House of Assembly is bowing to pressure from aggrieved party men and women not to screen the nominees believed to have been “cooked from a smoke-filled room’’ outside the government.

The House is awaiting the “additional list’’ promised by the party leadership before the commencement of screening.

“A party source said:“Those who did not work for the party’s success at the polls and are unknown to the leaders at local government and ward levels are the ones nominated.

“Where were they when we were campaigning and building the party at the grassroots?

“Those who have sacrificed and paid N3million to get the party’s nomination forms and were denied the tickets and those who were asked to step down after a term are not considered.

“It is unfair to these people, it is unfair to Lagosians. How many Lagosians are on the list? About 30 per cent.’’