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On Thursday, June 25, 2020, a Federal High Court dismissed the motion by Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji (former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly), to quash the charges of corruption levelled against him.

The judge also went ahead to fix October 24 for an accelerated hearing of the trial.

Recall that the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) had charged Hon Ikuforiji and his assistant for misappropriation of public funds and money laundering to the tune of N338.8 million.

The former speaker’s case with the EFCC deserves even more attention now that word on the street is that he is interested in running for the senate seat which is now vacant after the untimely death of Senator Bayo Osinowo aka Pepperito.

Indeed, an accused remains innocent until proven guilty. But a situation where an individual running to represent a senatorial district in Lagos will spend a good part of his time defending himself in court is certainly a distraction the constituents can do without.

The gentleman has on several occasions flaunted his democratic credentials to demonstrate his commitment to serving the people, however, how he handles this issue will prove to be a true test of his character.

Because a true democrat and progressive will seek to first clear his name in court before vying for any political position. That way, he can earn the trust of his constituents and consequently uphold the values of the hallowed chamber. 

It is even more risky for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to field a candidate with charges of corruption hanging around his neck. First, it portrays the party as being tolerant of corruption and secondly, it weakens the chances of the party at the polls.

If what is being rumored turns out to be true, then Gbadmosi Babatunde may be given the nod by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to run in the coming senatorial by-election.

Should this happen, it will be suicidal for the APC to field a candidate who has questions to answer in court. The party will simply be handing ammunition to an outspoken and charismatic politician like Gbadamosi, thereby diminishing its chances at the poll. 

While there is the sentiment, and understandably so, that the Lagos East senate seat should be zoned to Epe, I believe there are hundreds, if not thousands of capable individuals in that district, who have the capacity and the character to represent Lagos East at the senate effectively.

The people of Lagos East, after enjoying decent representation from Senator Mamora, Senator Ashafa and more recently Senator Osinowo, will not want to deal with the attention that a high-profile court case will bring, should Hon Ikuforiji decide to run.

I believe the former speaker will clear his name in court but until then, he should not consider running in the by-election. 

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Isiaka Bello is a public affairs analyst. He contributed this piece from Lagos.

*The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Pulse Nigeria.