The last may not have been heard on the political ‘battle’ currently going on in Lagos State. According to reports, some ongoing road construction could be the latest causality as the race for the Alausa seat continues to gather momentum.
While the rift between members of the ruling party, All Progressive Congress (APC) on the choice of candidate for the next year Gubernatorial Election plays out, a report has it that work on some major road projects has come to a halt.
The report observed that the road construction at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Road and Pen Cinema Bridge in Agege has come to a suspicious halt, as the contractor, Messrs Hitech Construction Company Limited, has abandoned the sites.
A source close to the contractor blamed the development on the non-payment of fees by the State Government. About N20 billion is said to still be outstanding. A former Governor in the state and a chieftain of the ruling party allegedly owns substantial stakes in the construction company and wields great influence over it.
A representative of the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, however, denied owing the contractors.
The Lagos State Government had promised to deliver the Oshodi-Airport Road in 15 months. It was to be upgraded from four to 10 lanes. Work commenced on September 2017. The Agege Pen Cinema Bridge has a December 2018 completion date.
Recall that the media had been flooded with news of a major rift between Governor Ambode and Former Governor and National Leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu over an alleged disagreement on his re-election. A claim which the Governor has vehemently denied.
Meanwhile, the state chairman of APC, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, has assured that the party would be fair to the three aspirants seeking the governorship position. He further noted that the events in the Lagos chapter showed democracy in action.
Two former commissioners, Mr. Femi Hamzat and Jide Sanwo-Olu, have obtained nomination forms to contest the party’s ticket in the coming direct primary scheduled to hold later this month.