Aduke Hussain, the Executive Secretary of Surulere Local Government Area, and a former Lagos state lawmaker, Kabiru Lawal are alleged to be at daggers drawn over who becomes the next council chairman.
Until their falling apart, Hussain and Lawal were said to belong to the political camp of former Lagos governor, Babatunde Fashola. Even as camp followers, they allegedly showed mistrust towards each other. Lawal felt shut out after losing his return ticket to the House of Assembly, where he had been a two-term (eight years) lawmaker. A source close to him said Lawal was pained that Fashola picked Hussain above him.
“Maybe we wouldn’t have had the current crisis in Surulere if a politically experienced person had been appointed executive secretary.
“This woman knows nothing and has been fueling controversies and dissensions within the party since she came. Anytime the party asked her for something, she would claim the council was indebted to banks, without giving proofs of how much she spends servicing what debt. If not that, She would say that (Governor Akinwunmi) Ambode is starving councils of funds or that they pay certain money to Asiwaju (former Governor Bola Tinubu), which are all lies. These were the things she told the party LGA executives and the youth last December. Even workers were not given bonuses or gifts last December,” a source said.
Council sources said the hostility between Hussein and Lawal reached a feverish pitch about three weeks ago, when some roughnecks associated with the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) beat up Lawal’s boy for hoisting his political campaign banner in the council premises. The roughnecks were alleged to be acting on Hussain’s instruction. Hussain completely denied the allegation and feigned ignorance of the issues when this medium sought her comment.
“Where are you getting this false information from. These politicians have started with their lies. There is nothing happening at the council except our usual work. Surulere has been peaceful,” Hussain said.
How Hussain Was Appointed
On the claim that ex-governor Fashola willingly appointed Hussain, this medium however found out that ex-governor Fashola grudgingly did. It was gathered that Fashola’s former Chief of Staff, Lanre Babalola rather influenced Hussain’s appointment. Babalola was said to have yielded to Hussain’s husband, Rotimi Hussain’s request to do so. The trio of Fashola, Babalola and Rotimi Hussain, who the former governor appointed director-general, Lagos state Pensions Commission in 2009, are believed to be friends.
Femi Gbajabiamila’s Named Mentioned
Kabiru Lawal, a.k.a Czar, was said to have always had his eyes on the council’s chairmanship seat. During his legislative days, Lawal was said to have instigated crisis within the immediate past council executive. This he reportedly did using ex-council vice chairman, Sulaimon Yusuf and nine councilors and spearheaded a failed impeachment plot against the former chairman, Tajudeen Ajide Yusuf. Lawal was said to have exploited the disagreement between the said Ajide, who as deputy chairman in 2011, was allegedly helped by Femi Gbajabiamila to become chairman. The political love life of Ajide, a former footballer, and Gbajabiamila ended sour.
Although Lawal was reportedly resentful of Gbajabiamila, whose third time return to the House of Representatives in 2011 he roundly opposed, he later teamed up with him to ensure he gets into the coveted local office.
