By Anifowoshe Oladipupo
A faction of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has called on the National Assembly to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bola Tinubu over an alleged conflict of interest in the award of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway contract.
Oba Oladipo Olaitan, leader of the faction, made the call in an interview on Saturday, expressing outrage over Tinubu’s recent public remarks during the inauguration of the 30-kilometre Phase 1, Section 1 of the coastal project, where he referred to the contractor, Gilbert Chagoury, as his “partner in daring.”
The highway project is being executed by Hitech Construction Company, a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group, which also spearheads the Eko Atlantic City real estate project developed on reclaimed land along the Atlantic Ocean.
President Tinubu, during the inauguration last Saturday, praised Chagoury and the company’s role in the project, describing it as “a symbol of courage and commitment.”
“To the contractors and my partner in daring, it was tough for us… We came together to tame the Atlantic,” Tinubu said.
Oba Olaitan argued that the statement amounted to a blatant admission of conflict of interest, claiming that the road was awarded without public bidding and is designed to benefit Eko Atlantic City, a private development linked to the contractor.
“All President Tinubu is doing is building a road to his own Atlantic City. He openly said the contractor is his partner. That means he awarded a federal contract to himself,” he said.
Olaitan questioned the rationale for inaugurating only a small section of the massive coastal highway, alleging that the government may abandon the rest once the portion leading to Atlantic City is complete.
“Why commission just four per cent of the road? That road leads straight to their private development. This is a clear conflict of interest,” he added.
He called on lawmakers to take urgent action, insisting that the president’s comments amounted to a breach of public trust.
“The National Assembly must prove that it is not complicit. If they are truly independent, they must act now. We cannot condone this. This is not how to run a democracy,” Olaitan declared.
In response, the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress dismissed the impeachment call, describing it as baseless.
Speaking with our correspondent on Friday, Lagos APC spokesperson Seye Oladejo said the claims were a misinterpretation of the president’s remarks.
“I will just regard that as a joke taken too far. Maybe they need to consult their dictionary to understand what ‘partner’ means. Did he say business partner?
“He didn’t say they have any incorporated firm where they both have shares,” Oladejo said.
He explained that the term “partner in daring” simply referred to people who shared Tinubu’s vision and helped pursue it, not a business relationship.
Oladejo also affirmed that due process was followed in awarding the contract, stating that any concerns should be channeled through appropriate institutions, not through calls for impeachment.
