Blast LASSAA for ‘Lying’ Over Destroyed Posters
By Ayo Kehinde
The Governorship Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has lauded the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Wasiu Olawale Oluwo, for dumping the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Babylon is falling! APC is crumbling!” Agbaje said, while reacting to the defection of Oluwo this week. “The Honourable Commissioner has displayed uncommon courage by the decision. He is a good example for others to follow as this empire begins to fall to pieces.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the Jimi Agbaje Campaign Organisation, the governorship candidate welcomed Oluwo into PDP, saying, “I am gladdened by news of my brother’s defection to PDP. Indeed, it is a welcome development which must be lauded and applauded by all lovers of freedom and democracy. By this singular gesture, Oluwo has counted himself worthy as a man of integrity.”
“I look forward to teaming up with him to liberate our dear state from the shackles of misgovernment and corruption.” Agbaje stated.
The PDP governorship hopeful further urged all stakeholders in the state to join him in the task of liberating the state from the stranglehold of predatory vested interests who had in the last 19 years held the state to ransom.
“I am using this opportunity to all stakeholders in the state, particularly my brothers and sisters in the APC to toe the path of honour, and join us to rescue our state from the vice grips of a vested cabal that has arrested its development in the last twenty years,” the PDP candidate said.
Meanwhile, Agbaje, has described as false the claims by the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASSAA) that his publicity boards were destroyed because he failed to secure permit to erect them.
Describing as curious the agency’s claim to have destroyed the boards for not securing the supposed permit, he wondered why it had in the same breath spoken of granting blanket “waivers” for the display of political A-boards and posters.
According to him, the advertising public knew that for billboards, certain sums were paid for LASSAA permit, which did not apply to lightweight temporary political materials like posters and A-boards.
The LASSAA Chief Executive, Mr. Mobolaji Sanusi, had explained the rationale for destroying Agbaje’s advert materials during a meeting convened on Wednesday by the Lagos Police Commissioner, Mr. Edgal Imohimi, for political stakeholders at Ikeja.
Representing Agbaje at the meeting was his Running Mate, Mrs. Haleemat Busari.
Agbaje said: “Contrary to what the Managing Director of LASAA, Mobolaji Sanusi, said, we insist that the destruction of our A-frame posters on Third Mainland Bridge is politically motivated.”
“We also challenge LASSAA boss, Mustapha Sanusi, to tell the whole world if hostage-taking and kidnapping constitutes part of their operations.
“One of our deployment boys was in the night of last weekend abducted on the Third Mainland Bridge, until the police rescued him from his adductors’ vehicle whisking him away.”
Accusing the official of outright falsehood, Agbaje wondered why it took LASSAA so long to respond to the widespread outcry and condemnation that greeted the demolition and confiscation of tens of his mounted boards.
In the words of Agbaje: “Clearly, this defence being put up by the agency is a featherweight afterthought meant to justify their resort to perfidy against a perceived opposition. And anyway, why would a state-owned Agency resort to using thugs in its operations?
“Even if we violated any law, which we did not, does that justify why the agency littered the expressway with our boards and endanger motorists driving through the road? Is LASSAA enforcing regulations by throwing boards down and destroying them? Is that why they have been harassing and assaulting our deployment team all over the place? Why should a civil service agency go about in the witching hours of the night to destroy publicity materials of the opposition?”
According to Agbaje, the agency’s conduct reflected the impunity that Lagos needed to liberate itself from at the coming 2019 elections.
