.We”re With Meranda, 36 Lawmakers Insist

The crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly escalated Thursday morning, following the withdrawal of the police escorts attached to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda.
The Accurate Reporters gathered that: “All Police escort guarding Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda and those safe guarding the Lagos House of Assembly has been withdrawn with immediate effect leaving the house and the speaker vulnerable to attack!”
Moments after the withdrawal, the impeached Speaker of the House, Hon Mudashiru Obasa stormed the House and gained access to the Speaker’s office.
Obasa made a dramatic return as he arrived at the Assembly Complex in Alausa, Ikeja with security operatives.
“I’ve resumed, and I remain the Speaker of the Assembly,” Obasa told reporters on Thursday.
Asked whether he has been reinstated as speaker, Obasa said, “I’ve never been removed. Impeachment or removal is democratic and constitutional but in doing that, you must follow the due process. I am not against that. If I do that, then I am not democratic.”
Recall that since the removal of Obasa as speaker on January 13, the Lagos Assembly has been thrown into crisis.
The situation got escalated with Department of State Services also getting involved.
While the DSS has given an explanation that its operatives stormed House on the invitation of the acting Clerk of the House, Babatunde Ottun, the House condemned the action of the operatives.
The House insisted that the operatives were not invited to lock up the Speaker and other principal officers’ offices.
Three staff of the Assembly who were arrested for obstructing the DSS officers from performing their lawful duties are still in custody.
Meanwhile, 36 out of the 40-member Lagos House of Assembly have decided to stand firmly behind Meranda.
The decision of the 36 members, who gathered at the assembly garden on Thursday afternoon, followed the ousted Obasa’s forceful takeover of the office of the speaker, assisted by dozens thugs and armed men.
The legislators, who had earlier on February 17, passed a vote of confidence on Meranda, dared all consequences to stand by their earlier decision.
A lawmaker who pleaded anonymity, said he and his other colleagues are resolved to ensure that their decision to remove Obasa stands.
“He was not elected speaker from his constituency. We all endured his master-slave relationship for close to 10 years. Now, we have said enough is enough and we are not looking back,” the lawmaker said.
Meanwhile, four out of 39 other lawmakers, Hon Ayinde Akinsanya, popularly called, Osmak, representing Mushin Constituency 1, Hon. Olumoh Sa’ad Lukman representing Ajeromi-Ifelodun Constituency 1, Hon. Abdulkareem Jubreel Ayodeji representing Agege Constituency II and Noheem Adams, representing Eti-Osa Constituency II, were spotted accompanying Obasa to the complex.
As at the time of filing this report, the doors to the office of the Speaker had been forced open reportedly by Obasa’s loyalists.
Also, some armed miscreants, who accompanied Obasa to the complex were seen making threatening remarks, and vowing to take possession of all the offices in the complex.