45 Days After, Obasa Returns As Lagos Speaker

45 Days After

OpenLife Nigeria reports that 45 days after his ouster as Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Honourable Mudashiru Obasa has resumed his position as the parliament leader.

Obasa stated this on Thursday after returning to parliament with police and State Security Service details for the first time since he was removed on January 13.

“I’ve resumed, and I remain the Speaker of the Assembly,” Obasa said.

Signs that Obasa was going to return as Lagos Speaker emerged early Thursday when all security aides attached to Speaker Mojisola Meranda, who took over as the Assembly Speaker after Obasa’s ouster, were withdrawn.

According to the story, security details attached to the speaker including police officers were withdrawn without immediately verification on who authorised the withdrawal.

This development created fears in the circle of Speaker Meranda’s loyalists of her vulnerability to security threats.

“All the Speaker’s security aides have been withdrawn. All the security aides attached to the House of Assembly have also been withdrawn,” a source said, lamenting that the “the speaker is now vulnerable.”

Before then, there had been information that Meranda may resign from the position as Speaker.
The move follows intervention of the heavyweights of the All Progressives Congress including Chief Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun Osoba, who are former governors of Osun and Ogun states respectively.

The meditating panel led by the duo met last Sunday with key stakeholders at the House including members of the Governance Advisory Council at the Governor’s Lodge in Marina.

The panel, according to GAC members at the meeting, are recommending the resignation of Mudashiru Obasa and that Meranda should also step down for a new lawmaker from Lagos West to take the mantle of the House leadership.

A source in the Obasa camp said all aides attached to Obasa have now been restored.
“They have been restored all Obasa’s security aides as of this morning,” the source said.