Obasa Returns to Assembly, Declares Self Speaker

Segun James

The crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly took a new dimension when ousted Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, stormed the House and declared himself the substantive Speaker.

Obasa arrived the Assembly Thursday with a full retinue of security personnel, just as the security personnel attached to his successor, Hon. Mojisola Meranda, were withdrawn, a development which has created tension within the Assembly.

Obasa arrived at the Lagos Assembly at exactly 12:05 p.m., accompanied by two lawmakers loyal to him.

Obasa went straight into the Speaker’s office while other lawmakers, loyal to Mojisola Meranda, watched the unfolding drama.

All entry and exit points leading to the Assembly were closed as the situation continued to unfold.

Earlier, all police escorts assigned to Meranda were withdrawn. She was not informed of who ordered the withdrawal.

The crisis began on January 13 after Obasa was removed while on a foreign trip, over alleged financial impropriety and gross misconduct.

He was immediately replaced by his deputy, Meranda, while Fatai Mojeed assumed the position of Deputy Speaker.

President Bola Tinubu, who is the leader of the party in the state, was said to have expressed his displeasure with the development because he was not informed about the plot to remove the speaker.

He was said to have expressed his displeasure to the Governance Advisory Council for keeping such a major political change from him until the plot was executed.

Reports also said the President drew the attention of the GAC to the political imbalance created by the removal of Obasa and emergence of Meranda, who is from the same Lagos Central District with the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, thereby altering the equitable political structure in the state.

Tinubu was said to have demanded that the status quo be maintained while a political solution was being restored to the leadership crisis in the Assembly.