Lagos Assembly Members Reject Obasa’s Return
Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have reaffirmed their support for Speaker Mojisola Meranda, rejecting the forceful takeover of her office by ousted Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
Specifically, 36 lawmakers out of 40 members dissatisfied with the move, gathered at the Assembly garden on Thursday, to stand by their February 17 vote of confidence in Meranda, despite Obasa’s dramatic return, allegedly aided by armed men and thugs.
In a video circulating online, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, Stephen Ogundipe, while addressing journalists on the development condemned the disruption, calling for calm.
He described the situation as an embarrassment, recalling how security operatives prevented him from entering the Assembly complex.
“We reject Obasa in totality.
“This is Lagos, the State House of Assembly. We are shocked by what is happening today. If there is an issue, leadership should address us directly, not subject us to this charade.
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“We have been law-abiding, we have not gone out of our way against the state or anybody. But we also want to be respected and be given our dignity. We are appealing to the leadership of our party that we cannot continue this way. The issue is already in court, and it is for us to allow the process to follow due course. But what we are seeing here today is a charade,” Ogundipe stated.
Another lawmaker, who spoke anonymously emphasized that they remain steadfast in ensuring Obasa’s removal stands.
“He was not elected as Speaker by his constituency. We endured his master-slave leadership for nearly a decade. Now, we’ve had enough, and we’re not backing down”, he said.
At the time of filing this report, Obasa’s loyalists had forcibly reopened the Speaker’s office, while thugs reportedly occupied strategic areas of the complex.
Armed miscreants were also spotted making threats, vowing to seize all offices in the Assembly.
Access roads leading to the Assembly were blocked by suspected Obasa supporters, who arrived in unmarked Kombi buses, forcing motorists to take alternative routes.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
