The crisis raging in Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) involving the ‘Abuja group’ and home stakeholders, has remained unabated.
Some APC leaders have come up with insinuations that the protest by the members of Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of the amended Land Use Charge law was politically motivated.
They alleged that the said protest was sponsored and bankrolled by APC National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, who spent millions to print t-shirts, posters, fliers etc. and oil the pockets of the executives of the NBA, Ikeja Branch
It was further alleged that the association was hijacked by supporters of the National Legal Adviser who has been having a running battle with his mentor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the leadership of the APC in Lagos State.
It was purported that many supporters of Banire were spotted participating actively in the rally under the disguise of protesting the Land Use Charge.
They further alleged that many of the protesting lawyers have been severally linked as sympathizers of a former Governor in Lagos State who boasted that their agenda was to dent Ambode’s image and popularity under the smokescreen of populist fight against the amended Land Use Charge Act.
It would be recalled that lawyers from Ikeja NBA Branch in Lagos State marched from Ikeja Roundabout to the Lagos State House of Assembly to protest the review of the state’s Land Use Charge (LUC) on Tuesday, 13th March, 2018.”While it is their democratic right to express their concerns or grievances on any policy, it is shameful when such agitation is jaundiced by political machinations and mischief,” the APC stakeholders argued.