36 Lagos lawmakers reject Obasa, say ‘Meranda is our Speaker’

Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have faulted the claim by the impeached speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, that he had returned to the assembly as speaker.
A member of the assembly, Mr Stephen Ogundipe, spoke with reporters on Thursday in Ikeja on behalf of the 36 members of the assembly who impeached Obasa in January.
Ogundipe said all the 36 lawmakers rejected Obasa’s ” forcible entry” into the assembly complex, insisting Mrs Mojisola Meranda remained the Speaker.
Obasa had told reporters shortly after he arrived the assembly complex on Thursday that he was not removed.
The impeached speaker also said he was back at the assembly to take charge.
The visit was Obasa’s first appearance at the complex after he was impeached by his colleagues in January over alleged misconduct and financial impropriety.
The impeached speaker returned on a day the security details of Mrs Mojisola Meranda, who was elected by the lawmakers immediately after his removal, were allegedly withdrawn.
Victor Ganzalo,Meranda’s media aide ,who confirmed the withdrawal of his principal’s security aides in a statement, also said all personnel providing security at the assembly complex had been withdrawn.
Ogundipe ,who is the assembly’s spokesman, said the manner in which Obasa entered the complex and his office was not proper.
He alleged that Obasa broke into the Speaker’s office.
Ogundipe said the support of the 36 lawmakers for Meranda was unwavering.
He said: “This is Lagos and this is Lagos State House of Assembly and we were approached by our leaders that we should remain calm and take things easy until they resolve the issue.
“It is an embarrassment that to even enter the gate, we were stopped and told by security operatives that we cannot enter assembly. It is an embarrassment and this must stop.
“We are shocked to see what is happening today and we are still expecting our leaders to come and tell us where we went wrong or what really went wrong.
“Before the intervention of our leaders, we won’t take laws into our hand just like I told the assembly’s staff that they should not take laws into their hands.
“This is Lagos and this is the centre of excellence. This is where everything starts and stops. We have been law-abiding and I don’t think the 36 members have gone out of our way.
“So, I am appealing to the leadership of our party that we cannot continue this way. We have been taken to court so, due process should have been followed”, he said.