Naija Lives Matter Founder, Banwo Indicts Ogun State Assembly Clerk

Dr. Ope Banwo, the founder of Naija Lives Matter (NLM), a non-political group has indicted Sakiru Adebakin, the clerk of the Ogun State House of Assembly,

This comes after a delegation of NLM executives including the organisation’s National President, Secretary General, Director of Projects, and National PRO attempted to submit a petition against the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun on Wednesday, May 21st.

In an article published on his website, www.mayoroffadeyi.com,  he noted that a delegation of NLM executives visited the Ogun State Assembly complex in Abeokuta to submit a formal petition calling for the investigation of 21 serious allegations of corruption and maladministration against the governor.

In the article, he clarified that the executives did not go there with a crowd to protest or cause a scene, adding that the group simply went to deliver an official petition for investigation into the allegations against Gov. Abiodun to the state assembly.

Banwo, however, noted that what followed was a shameful, undemocratic display of arrogance by Adebakin who made it clear he was running interference for the governor instead of receiving the petitions.

He added that rather than fulfill his administrative duty by receiving the petition addressed to him and the Speaker, the Clerk of the House arrogantly refused, claiming without reading the document that “the courts have already ruled” on some of the issues raised.

Banwo revealed that upon explaining to him that his role was not to evaluate or screen petitions, but simply to deliver them to the members for deliberation, the Clerk berated the delegation for daring to petition the Governor, before storming out of the office with an instruction to his assistant not to receive the petition.

Furthermore, he described the action of the Clerk as not just a bureaucratic hiccup, but a blatant abuse of office, a slap in the face of constitutional democracy, and a crystal-clear indicator that Governor Abiodun had hijacked all arms of government in Ogun State.

“In an era where citizens are waking up to the urgent need for local government accountability, the recent events at the Ogun State House of Assembly have exposed a disturbing level of executive impunity and legislative compromise that threatens the very soul of grassroots democracy,” Banwo stated in his article.