Confusion on Thursday enveloped the Lagos State House of Assembly, as the embattled former Speaker, Mudasiru Obasa, stormed the Assembly declaring that he remains the Speaker.
Obasa’s declaration came amidst opposition from some members who insist that Mojisola Meranda should retain the position.
Obasa arrived at the assembly complex earlier today, escorted by security operatives and accompanied by former principal officers and close associates.
Upon entering the chamber, he proceeded to the Speaker’s office, where he remained for a while.
Speaking to journalists, Obasa dismissed reports of his removal, stating that he had only been on recess and reaffirming that he remains the legitimate Speaker of the House.
According to him, the removal was undemocratic and unconstitutional.
“Impeachment or removal of a speaker is a democratic process and constitutional. If you want to do 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,” he said
He described the recent incident as a family affair and promised not to victimise anybody.
“We’re one family. I don’t have anything against anybody. All my colleagues, we’re brothers, and we remain brothers. They’ve always been loyal and dedicated and have a strong commitment to serving the people of Lagos, and we will continue to do that together. For me, I have nothing against anybody and no intention to victimise anybody,” he assured his colleagues.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers insisted that Obasa is no longer the speaker of the assembly.
The assembly spokesman, Stephen Ogundipe, said the lawmakers were not privy to Obasa’s action, urging the party leaders to urgently address the matter.
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.”
The lawmakers chorused, “We reject Obasa in totality.”
