*Has he learnt that politics is mostly brains not brawn?
Politicians tend to live in character and many a public figure has come to imitate the journalism which describes him. Consider the curious case of Akinwunmi Ambode.
As the number one citizen of Lagos State, Ambode lived in character: maverick governor; brilliant disruptor; and fearless liberator of Lagos from the godfathers’ clasp. The immediate past governor of Lagos enjoyed repute as the man earnestly seeking to retire his ‘overbearing’ but estranged godfather, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And he was deemed capable of such feat.
Unfortunately for Ambode, he fell on the double-edged sword of hubris and vanity. All politicians have vanity but some wear it more gently than others. Ambode was vulgar in his adornment by it.
Thus the roller-coaster episode that led to his rout from the Lagos House and exclusion from President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list, at the 11th hour.
His travails have, predictably, been blamed on the political machinery of his estranged godfather, Tinubu, whose goons are allegedly baying for blood and the head of Ambode, for daring to duel and insult their benefactor.
The latest in the slew of misfortunes that has befallen the embattled, chubby ex-governor, is his recent implication in a fraud investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC, recently, revealed that it has frozen three bank accounts containing a total of N9.9bn linked to Ambode.
In a Press statement by its spokesman, Tony Orilade, titled, ‘EFCC Secures Freezing Order on Accounts Linked to Ex-Gov. Ambode over Alleged N9.9bn Fraud’, the EFCC said Justice Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday, ordered the freezing of the sum of N9.9bn belonging to the Lagos State Government.
The funds are domiciled variously in First City Monument Bank account number 5617984012; Access Bank account number 0060949275; and Zenith Bank account number 1011691254, respectively.
Justice Chuka Obiozor gave the order, following an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The EFCC had prayed the court to freeze the accounts pending the conclusion of investigations and possible prosecution of Adewale Adesanya, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief of Staff to former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
See the EFCC post on its verified Facebook wall:
EFCC Secures Freezing Order on Accounts Linked to Ex-Gov. Ambode over Alleged N9.9bn Fraud
Justice Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, ordered the freezing of the sum of N9.9bn belonging to the Lagos State Government.
The funds are domiciled in First City Monument Bank, FCMB, account number 5617984012; Access Bank account number 0060949275; and Zenith Bank account number 1011691254, respectively.
Justice Chuka Obiozor gave the order, following an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The EFCC had prayed the court to freeze the account pending the conclusion of investigation and possible prosecution of Adewale Adesanya, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief of Staff to former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
The applicant, EFCC, in an affidavit deposed to by Kungmi Daniel, an operative of the Commission, stated that there was “a huge inflow of N9,927,714,443.29” from the state accounts into an FCMB bank account opened on September 17, 2018 during the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode, and operated by Adesanya.
It was further stated that the schedule of the FCMB account showed how Adesanya and other signatories to the account made fraudulent transfer from the accounts of the Lagos State Government and dissipated the funds housed in the said accounts.
In his submission, counsel to the EFCC, Mohammed Abbas, said “The trend in the account is that the account always witnessed huge inflow from Lagos State Government in the above scheduled accounts managed by the respondent (Adesanya).”
Abbas, therefore, prayed the court to grant an order to temporarily attach and take over the accounts to enable it conclude its investigations.
“There have been concerted efforts and attempts to dissipate the contents of the accounts listed in the schedule to this application.
“Without freezing the nominated accounts and temporarily forfeiting the money to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there is no way the fraud being perpetrated using the scheduled accounts can be stopped,” he further told the court.
Consequently, Justice Obiozor granted the prayers of the counsel to the Commission.
The Judge adjourned further proceedings to September 9, 2019.
Certainly, all is not well with ex-Governor Ambode. If he has learnt anything from his current travails, it is, that, real politics has little to do with his kind of brawn, ideas, daring and imagination and everything to do with maneuvers, intrigues, plots, paranoias, betrayals, a great deal of calculation, no little cynicism, and every kind of wild ace.
