Sanwo-Olu denies suing EFCC over plan for prosecution after tenure

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has denied filing a suit to stop his arrest and prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after his tenure as governor.

Sanwo-Olu is serving a second term as Lagos State Governor. His tenure is expected to end on May 28, 2027.

A report emerged on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, that the governor has filed a suit before the court to stop his prosecution by the EFCC.

Reacting to the report which has since been trending on social media, Sanwo-Olu said he had never filed a suit to stop his arrest or prosecution after the end of his administration.

Governor Sanwo-Olu made this known in a statement issued by the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), on Tuesday.

The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to the news circulating in a section of the media, titled: ‘Sanwo-Olu Sues EFCC over alleged plan to arrest, prosecute him after tenure.’

“We need to clarify that Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at no time, sued or briefed any legal practitioner to file a suit on his behalf concerning the above subject matter.

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“Also, it is disingenuous for the Governor who enjoys immunity as conferred on him by the Constitution and has almost three years ahead of him to brief any lawyer on this kind of matter.

“To the best of my knowledge and my inquiry confirmed that the EFCC is not investigating the Governor and has never invited him or threatened arrest of any member of his staff, domestic or otherwise.

“We are currently investigating how the case came to be without our knowledge.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been an exemplar in terms of service delivery, prudent and judicious management of public resources.

“Therefore, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu who is busy working assiduously on how to improve the living conditions of all Lagosians does not have anything to fear when he eventually leaves office at the end of his tenure in May 2027.

“We, therefore, enjoin media organisations to be wary of the kind of reports they entertain and publish on their respected platforms in order not to mislead the public.”

The Star