Why FG Reinstated Obasa as Speaker, Security Source Opens Up
- The federal government has been fingered as the brain behind the reinstatement of Mudashiru Obasa as the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly
- A security source disclosed that the federal government viewed Obasa's impeachment as illegal because the house was not in session, and only a legitimate speaker could convene the house
- According to the source, even though the case is in court, the federal government did not have to wait for the court to make a pronouncement before taking action on what it considered illegal
Don't miss out! Join Legit.ng's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Ikeja, Lagos - A security source has confirmed that the reinstatement of Mudashiru Obasa as the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday, February 27, was facilitated by the Nigerian government.
Legit.ng recalled that Obasa was removed from office by a two-thirds majority of the members of the house when he was on holiday in the United States. The development ended his decade-long hold on the office.
Source: Twitter
Why Lagos lawmakers are against Obasa
According to the members, Obasa's tenure was full of high-handedness and financial misappropriation. His deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was subsequently elected as the new speaker of the assembly.
However, Obasa rejected his impeachment, citing a lack of due process by the legislative assembly. He went ahead and challenged the action in court.
The house, which sat last on February 13, passed a vote of confidence in Meranda, who was said to be under pressure from some All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders to resign and indefinitely adjourn the plenary.
Obasa takes over at Lagos assembly
Obasa led a crowd of supporters to the assembly complex on Thursday, February 27, and announced that he had reclaimed his position as speaker of the House. He later presided over the plenary, which was attended by four members of the House.
The reinstated speaker's return started earlier in the day when the security authorities withdrew Meranda's security details and restored Obasa's.
According to Premium Times, a top security official disclosed that the federal government authorised the development. He said the House was not in session when the impeachment happened, and only a legitimate speaker can convey the House.
The source said: "Obasa was not properly impeached as speaker, so his removal is illegal.”
He explained that the view of the federal government on the matter was that the impeachment was considered illegal.
Why FG reinstated Obasa as speaker
He stressed that Obasa was not allowed to defend himself in the criminal allegation levelled against him, which led to his impeachment.
Source: Twitter
The source further commented that the House was not in session when Obasa was impeached. He noted that though the case is in court, the federal government did not have to wait for the court to make a pronouncement before taking action against what it considered a violation of the law.
There have been speculations that President Bola Tinubu was angry about the impeachment of Obasa because the lawmakers did not consult the leaders of the party before they made the move.
'Democracy not in trouble yet' - Analyst
A public policy analyst, Daniel Akinlami, has weighed in on the federal government's alleged involvement in the Lagos State House of Assembly's affairs, particularly in the reinstatement of Mudashiru Obasa as speaker.
Questioning the claim of FG's involvement in an interview with Legit.ng, he said:
"There's no facts, no evidence to support it. The only thing obvious is that he (Obasa) seems to enjoy some support from the police — so that may not be sufficient to say the federal government is helping him."
Akinlami also emphasised that the matter is still in court, and it's premature to conclude on the legality of Obasa's reinstatement. He noted that Obasa's action was "unwarranted" adding that he should not have taken the law into his own hands.
"They claimed that the speaker was illegally removed while some key officers of the house were on break. This is where the problem is - if you (Obasa) have gone to court to lay claim that you were illegally removed, then he does not have any constitutional power to take law into his hand to restore himself," he noted.
Akinlami who cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the implications for Nigeria's democracy said:
"It might be too early to conclude that this is going to have a negative effect on governance in Lagos or even the democratic structure, so we watch and see how things unfold in the next few days, maybe from Monday."
He also noted the internal power dynamics within the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a factor in the crisis.
"There are some other angles to this whole thing which we could describe as an APC internal affair. What we're seeing is just a fallout of the mismanagement of this crisis by the APC leaders," he noted.
Lagos assembly members reject Obasa's reinstatement
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Lagos State House of Assembly experienced another drama as 36 of the 40 lawmakers rejected the return of Mudashiru Obasa.
Obasa, who returned to the House on Thursday, February 27, claimed that he remained the speaker and that he was only on vacation.
However, the 36 lawmakers reaffirmed their support for Mojisola Meranda as the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from a public policy expert for this report.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!
Source: Legit.ng
