FRESH MOVES TO RETURN OBASA AS LAGOS ASSEMBLY SPEAKER COMMENCE

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Agency Report

The Lagos State House of Assembly’s leadership issue took a new turn yesterday when a National Daily revealed new plans to reinstate Mr. Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker.

Following the dismissal of Mr. Obasa and former House Clerk Olalekan Onafeko by 32 MPs on January 13, 2025, and the election of Mrs. Mojisola Meranda as the substantive speaker, the House has been in crisis.

Overtures have been made to legislatures to soft-pedal and assist the troubled former Speaker, according to several sources close to the presidency and other key players in the crisis, the media reported.

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Members of the Governance Advisory Council, or GAC, were also urged to restrain the anti-Obasa MPs, newsmen were credibly told.

This followed the disbandment of the Bisi Akande committee over its findings on the matter.

It was also learned that the committee was disbanded owing to the report it submitted after its visit that the odds were against Obasa.

The President had set up a high-powered committee of the party led by Bisi Akande and members including Aremo Olusegun Osoba, and former APC National Vice Chairman, South-west, Pius Akinyelure and others to resolve the crisis.

It further gathered that after the disbandment of the Akande committee, members of GAC were asked to rein in their loyalists in the Assembly and executive to back Obasa.

The source said: “The Bisi Akande committee has been disbanded. The president has reached out to members of GAC who have loyalists or children in the Assembly to insist they work for Obasa’s return as Speaker.

“For those who do not have children in the Assembly but have other political loyalists in the State Executive Council, they have been mandated to ensure Obasa is returned.

“Obasa, on the other hand, has also been reaching out to lawmaker opposed to him in an attempt to gain their support.”

Another source said that if the strategies to rein in the anti-Obasa fail to scale through, the Presidency and party leaders are considering allowing the courts resolve the crisis.

Sources in the presidency said: “The President is insisting Obasa must return but the Assembly members are also throwing their weight behind Meranda. The two camps do not want to shift grounds. As it is, the court will decide who the Speaker is and you know how judicial process works, it will move from the High Court to Appeal Court and from there, to the Supreme Court; the court will decide.”

The embattled former Speaker had dragged Meranda, the Assembly and 36 lawmakers to court challenging his ‘unlawful’ removal.

Justice Yetunde Rukayat Pinheiro of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, last Friday, adjourned the hearing of all pending applications in the lawsuit filed by Obasa, to March 7.

Meanwhile, to prevent a breakdown of law and order, the management has directed all categories of staff and Legislative aides to work remotely from home until further notice.

In a memo, titled ‘Amendment to Remote Work Schedule Arrangement’, addressed to staff and legislative aides, the Acting Clerk of the Assembly, Mr Babatunde Abubakar, said the move was to “guarantee safety and forestall any unwarranted consequences.”

Abubakar said: “I write to convey the approval of the leadership of the House to effect the following changes in the work-from-home arrangement pending the resolution of the current leadership crisis to guarantee safety and forestall any unwarranted consequences.

“To this end, all categories of staff at the Assembly, LAHASCOM and Legislative Aides are requested to work remotely from home until further notice.

“Please note that this arrangement is in tandem with the Head of Service, HOS circular 005 issued on January 15, 2025, affirming the leadership change in the House and the appointment of Mr A.T.B. Ottun as Acting Clerk.
“Note that this measure has become necessary for safety purposes and officers are enjoined to leave open communication lines as they can be called upon for any assignment whenever the need arises.

“Be assured that Princess Mojisola Meranda is committed to your safety and peaceful resolution of the crisis.”
The staff of the Lagos State Assembly had engaged men of the Department of State Services, DSS, when the latter stormed the Assembly complex, sealing offices and preventing lawmakers from holding the plenary session.

Recall that the Chairman of GAC in Lagos State, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, had said the council was not consulted before the removal of Mr Obasa as Lagos Speaker.

Olusi had said: “Members of the GAC are not members of the Lagos State House of Assembly to allegedly be behind the removal of Obasa. It can’t be true.

“We read it also that morning. The lawmakers carried it out without consulting the party and those of us in the GAC. That is our position.