15th June, 2010
Concerned Mainland Voters (CMV), a combined group of NGOs, individuals, marketers, youths and artisans in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos Nigeria, have demanded the recall of Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolanrinwa from the House of Representatives.
Bolarinwa, an Action Congress (AC) member, representing Lagos Mainland in the lower chamber of the National Assembly, has defected to the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), without resigning from the AC.
The group said the lawmaker should be recalled immediately for dumping the AC for PDP.
Comrade Wale Balogun, the group’s coordinator, castigated both the national and state leadership of AC for treating the matter with levity and not asking Bolarinwa to vacate the seat.
He claimed that Bolarinwa, who is still representing Lagos Mainland federal constituency has opened a campaign office in Kwara State using the platform of the PDP, a move, he said, contravenes Article 9, Section 1 and 2 of the AC constitution.
”The mandate to represent Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency was painstakingly and consciously given to Bolarinwa as a candidate of AC not because of his popularity but the attraction of the AC’s manifestoes which conformed with the expectations of Mainlanders.
‘‘Therefore, it is treacherous and a flagrant betrayal of trust and confidence repose in Bolarinwa to have abandoned AC, the party which he used to become a representative and trading voters’ mandate for the PDP for his political ambition. This is unacceptable,’’ Balogun stated.
Balogun also berated Bolarinwa for not initiating any meaningful project in the area despite receiving huge constituency allowances.
The group called for the withdrawal of the Certificate of Returns issued to Bolarinwa by INEC, and asked him to tender a public apology to AC members for betraying their collective interest.
—Paul Sanusi & Sontan Yewande