Lekki Tollgate: ‘Ambode warned us Sanwo-Olu was insane’ — protesters

Many Nigerians have gone online to protest against the Babajide Sanwo-Olu government of Lagos.

The online protest is the virtual edition of the physical version the government sent armed police officers to crush at the Lekki Toll Plaza on Saturday.

Online protesters say they regretted not listening to former governor Akinwunmi Ambode who warned Lagos voters not to choose an “unfit” Sanwo-Olu.

“Ambode really said Sanwo-olu isn’t fit to become the governor of Lagos state and we all thought he was joking,” @Laxix6 tweeted.

Before the All Progressives Congress (APC) denied Ambode a return ticket, the former governor held a press conference during which he called the mental health of potential (and eventual) flag bearer Sanwo-Olu into question.

“Sanwo-Olu doesn’t have the competence to do what he is being propelled to do,” Ambode said.

“This is somebody that has gone for rehabilitation before. The records are there at the Gbagada General Hospital.”

Online protesters now say Ambode was right. They point to Sanwo-Olu’s involvement in the October-20-2020 Lekki tollgate shooting as proof.

That day, Sanwo-Olu invited the army to evict anti-police-brutality demonstrators from the facility and lied about doing so after the soldiers opened fire on the protesters who were waving the Nigerian flag.

Sanwo-Olu later set up a panel to investigate the shooting but attempted forcing its members into taking an oath of secrecy, multiple reports said.

When that did not work, the panel carried on with business as usual but, on February 6, surprisingly voted to return the facility to the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) which has been linked to Sanwo-Olu’s godfather and former Lagos governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

That decision triggered the current protest police are actively trying to suppress. At least 23 people have been arrested at the Lekki tollgate today. Others have gone online to call the governor “insane”.

“Ambode warned us about the mad man we were installing but we paid no attention,” an online protester tweeted.

“Ambode warned us that Sanwo-Olu was mentally impaired from drug addiction, arrested in the US for spending fake dollars in a night club, incompetent and incapable of leading Lagos, but we didn’t listen,” @simtaciturn tweeted.

Meanwhile, activist Rinu Oduola, who represented the youth on Sanwo-Olu’s toothless panel, has stepped down from the panel because “I cannot be part of a cover-up”.

Oduola has also warned the governor that the protests would continue until justice is served.