The post-election legal dispute of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was not paid by the state, as the Labour Party candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour claimed. This was refuted by the Lagos State Government on Monday.
Gbenga Omotoso, the Commissioner of Information, responded to the charge in a statement, claiming it was a ruse to mislead the public rather than factual.
Omotoso stated that even though the governor received a payment request, he rejected it since the Attorney General found it to be irregular.
The commissioner encouraged individuals examining the state’s finances to base their investigation on factual information.
The statement said, “On November 19, 2023, Labour Party (LP) candidate Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour posted on ‘X’, alleging—without providing any evidence at all—that the Lagos State Government had supported Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s legal battle following the election on March 18, 2023. That is untrue.
A document that did not have the Lagos State Government’s emblem or the official endorsement of any of its officials was used to bolster the accusation. It was just another ruse to mislead the public about a N50,000,000 payment that never happened to four lawyers.
While it is admirable for patriotic people to examine the Lagos State Government’s finances, the investigation’s conclusions must always be founded on confirmed facts and nothing but the truth.
The deal that Mr. Rhodes-Vivour mentioned never happened. When the Honorable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice brought forward a payment request, Mr. Governor refused to authorize it due to its irregularities.
“To be clear, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will never violate his oath of office by misappropriating public funds.”
