By Eric Elezuo
A former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Mojisola Meranda, who only resigned on Monday as a result of pressure mounted on her by powers that be, aptly described the events that have taken place in the legislative chamber since January 13 when she assumed office, as a show of shame. Many other stakeholders have described it in various ugly terms, and a whole lot more, pointing accusing fingers at President Bola Tinubu, as the mastermind giving breath to the unwholesome shenanigans. This involves the unceremonial return of ousted Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, as the substantive Speaker after what they claimed was interventions from the Governance Advisory Committee (GAC), the states highest political decision making body, who in turn takes instruction from Bola Tinubu, the former state governor, and presently president of Nigeria.
The Nigeria Police, who a cross section has accused of taking sides in the speakership tussle, set the stage for the brigandage that unfolded when they unceremoniously withdrew the security details of the then speaker, Meranda, and instantly restored those of the then impeached Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa. This therefore, embolden the embattled speaker to conduct a gestapo-kind of raid on the Assembly complex with a retinue of heavily armed security operatives. The invasion of the Assembly complex, as it was termed, was an aberration to democratic principles, some stakeholders noted, citing that the case was already at the court at the time. They also noted that it was a draconian order given by Mr. President, who they said owned both Lagos State and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Though the newly appointed Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, said that the sudden withdrawal of Meranda’s security was not in bad light, but as part of security auditing, he was silent on the restoration of security details to Obasa, who was also a person of interest in the crises, and at the time, wasn’t a principal officer.
“As we speak, as I speak with you, the audit of the police personnel attached to Hon. Mojisola Miranda has been completed, and the form-armed police personnel attached to her from the Nigeria State Police Command have been returned to her for her protection,” the commissioner said on Thursday evening.
“It is pertinent to state that the ongoing police personnel audit has been on for several days now, and prominent personalities and individuals have been complying with the process. The exercise, once again, is not aimed or targeted at any individuals,” he said
Obasa, who was impeached by 36 members of his colleagues, had approached the court to challenge his removal from office on January 13, 2025, while he was reportedly out of the country.
In an application dated February 12, 2025, filed by his lawyer, Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), the former Speaker is contesting the legality of the action taken against him. This was after he boldly said je remains the speaker at her return to Nigeria.
But while the case was still in court, Obasa stormed the assembly during its recess, and went ahead to preside over a plenary of four members, prompting Meranda to describe it as a show of shame. She also accused the State Police Command of telling lies when it claimed that her security details, which were withdrawn in the light of the invasion of the Assembly complex by Obasa and three others, had been restored, adding that the claim by the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Moshood Jimoh that the full compliments of the speaker’s security had been restored was false.
Matters came to a head therefore, on Monday, when Meranda resigned her position as speaker, thanking some undisclosed powers for making and removing her as speaker. Her resignation paved the way for Obasa to be reelected after being a regular member for 49 days.
The return, to commonsense have been shocking, especially as the GAC, the lawmakers and the executive committee of Lgos State, all endorsed the emergence of Meranda and rejected Obasa, but to those, whobare in the know of how Lagos politics, attest to the fact, that it wasn’t surprising as Lagos is already a conquered state, whose hegemony is controlled by ‘one man’, his present exalted office as the president notwithstanding.
Sources told The Boss that the president was not happy at the removal, citing nonconsultation, and therefore, ruled that the democratic process already in place be overturned, and so the return of impeached Obasa.
“Emperor Tinubu is forcing Mudashiru Obasa on Lagos,” is a way an analyst, who crazed anonymity, summarized the 49-day long of legislative rascality witnessed in Lagos State.
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