In a dramatic turn of events, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have vehemently rejected Mudashiru Obasa as the Speaker of the parliament. This comes after Obasa claimed he remains the speaker, despite being impeached .
On Thursday, 36 lawmakers gathered at the assembly complex to refute Obasa’s claim and reaffirm their support for the current speaker, Mojisola Meranda. The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Security and Strategy, Steven Ogundipe, emphasized that the lawmakers are committed to ensuring Obasa’s removal stands.
However, in a surprising move, two lawmakers, Ayinde Akinsanya and Noheem Adams, were spotted accompanying Obasa into the Assembly complex. This development has raised questions about the unity among the lawmakers and the potential for further conflict.
Top Society had earlier reported that the embattled speaker had stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly, escorted by security operatives and accompanied by former principal officers and close associates.
In a statement to journalists, Obasa dismissed reports of his removal, claiming that he had only been on recess and reaffirming his legitimacy as Speaker. He termed the removal as “undemocratic and unconstitutional.” However, some lawmakers countered that Obasa is no longer the speaker, adding to the confusion.
“Impeachment or removal of speaker is a democratic process and constitutional. If you want to do the that, you must follow the due process. I’m not against being removed. If I do that, it means I’m not democratic. What we are saying is that let us follow the due process,” Obasa said.
The assembly spokesman, Stephen Ogundipe, expressed frustration over the party leaders’ handling of the situation, stating that lawmakers were left in the dark about Obasa’s return. He urged party leaders to address the matter urgently
He said: “We’re shocked to see what’s happening here today. We expect our leaders, who earlier told us to remain calm, to come and address us and tell us where we went wrong or what really went wrong. We won’t take laws into our hands, but we belong to different constituencies and we have our mandates. Whatever is going to happen, the leadership should speak with us and not this charade we’re witnessing. We are humiliated by this action. I was stopped at the gate from entering the assembly chamber. This is an embarrassment, and it must stop. We are not against the leadership’s decisions, but they should call us and tell us instead of hearing rumours. They’re our leaders, we’ll still stand and obey their decisions.”
