Speaker, Lagos House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda
The ousted speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has claimed that the speaker of the House, Mojisola Meranda, had stepped down as the parliament leader.
Obasa stated this on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today.
The embattled lawmaker said Meranda resigned at the peace meeting held at the Lagos House in Marina last weekend.
He said, “When my security was withdrawn without my consent, did I complain? At the meeting held in Marina, which saw the attendance of all party leaders, it was made clear, with hopes that all members were present, that Meranda herself declared her resignation. She made it known that she has stepped down.
“Now, when someone resigns from office, the associated paraphernalia is taken away. So, the question arises: Have you also resigned? Because we understand that part of the arrangement is for you to step down as well. Let them present the resignation letter. And if I were to resign, would I still be here? I’m sure you’d still address me as Speaker, even though we’ve never had a conversation before.”
Obasa maintained that his removal by 36 of the 40-member House is invalid, stressing that he remains the Lagos Assembly speaker.
“I have never been removed. I am not against removal, but it must follow the rules of the House and the Constitution,” he added.
The embattled former Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, presided over a plenary session on Thursday with only four lawmakers in attendance.
The session took place after security operatives allegedly forced open the chamber doors, granting Obasa and his loyalists access.
As of 3 pm, the plenary was ongoing, but over 26 lawmakers boycotted the session in what appeared to be a show of support for the substantive Speaker, Mojisola Meranda.
The lawmakers, gathered at the Assembly’s garden, reaffirmed their February 17 vote of confidence in Meranda, despite Obasa’s return, which was reportedly aided by armed men and suspected political thugs.
A lawmaker, speaking on the condition of anonymity, insisted that the Assembly would not recognise Obasa’s leadership.
“He was not elected as Speaker by his constituency. For nearly a decade, we endured his authoritarian style of leadership. Enough is enough, and we are not backing down,” the lawmaker declared.
Meanwhile, Ayinde Akinsanya (Mushin Constituency I) and Noheem Adams (Mushin Constituency II) were among those seen accompanying Obasa into the Assembly complex.
At the time of filing this report, Obasa’s supporters had reportedly broken into the Speaker’s office, while suspected thugs occupied key areas of the complex, issuing threats and vowing to seize all offices.
Access roads leading to the Assembly were also blocked by individuals said to be Obasa’s supporters, who arrived in unmarked buses, forcing motorists to seek alternative routes.
Reacting to the situation, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, Stephen Ogundipe, decried the chaos and called for calm.
“This is the Lagos State House of Assembly, and what we are witnessing today is shocking. If there are issues, leadership should address us directly, not resort to this kind of display,” he said.
He described the incident as an embarrassment, lamenting that security operatives had prevented him from accessing the complex.
