By Jimoh Olusola

IT was like a movie series that never seemed to end, but it ended, sadly, on a note that produced a result that could, arguably, be the best decision to be taken. It may not go down well with some people, but a sincere look at what could have ended up a tragedy for the House would show that the institution was crumbling and examples needed to be laid and sustained. Well, that is my view, my very personal one at that.

The institution called the Lagos State House of Assembly needs to be strengthened. And whatever it takes, as long as it is within the legal framework, should be adopted. This is my thinking, having watched the state’s legislative arm for years. The eighth session of the Lagos State House of Assembly headed by Mudashiru Obasa, an experienced lawmaker, started on a good note, a common goal and unity of purpose. This is in spite of the fact that some of the senior legislators had their eyes on the speakership seat before the session was inaugurated.

It is certain and historically so that the session produced some of the best results ever recorded in the long existence of the state. It was the very first to bring prominent Yoruba monarchs together for a public hearing on a mandatory teaching of the language in schools in the state. It yielded result. A bill was passed and today, this has been adopted by the other states in the South-West zone.

The Neighbourhood Watch bill which soon became very attractive to many states of the nation became a law. There was strength in whatever came out from the House in terms of legislation. Again, I emphasise unity of purpose.

But you know, the innate desires of a man would sometimes make him fly overboard, in most cases, subconsciously. The drama that would make stakeholders in our Nollywood industry green with envy soon reared its head.

Was the speaker overstepping his bound with the number of private member bills he churned out? Was there a fear that his continued stay on the seat could dent whatever ambitions some may have? Was the leadership of the Assembly carrying out any nocturnal activity that could imperil the continuity of the legislative arm? Were there some deeper reasons why there was a sudden tension recently?

The recent test on the House’ capacity to purge itself of negativity was the climax and anti-climax of a long hidden squabble which started towards the end of the eighth Assembly. Like some news reports have claimed, it seemed to be a battle between a former member and current senator, Bayo Osinowo and Obasa on who keeps the speakership seat.

What many, and maybe those who were engaged in the fight, if truly they fought the senator’s fight did not understand, was that Obasa has always called Osinowo a brother at every opportunity he has to speak about his former colleague. Again, if true they took the fight for that reason, a major political lesson has been learnt.

Intrigues: There is time for everything, says a verse in the Bible. But the sour journey to the recent crisis in the House commenced as the lawmakers approached the 2019 election. Watchful eyes knew there were grand moves to unseat the speaker. Some of the lawmakers were approached; money allegedly changed hands from some of these senior legislators to the new members for the purpose. It was learnt how one of the ranking members, a principal officer and supposed ally of Obasa, went as far as digging into the Speaker’s family life and exposing same to his colleagues in a manner that could besmirch the latter’s office. I personally heard this from one of the lawmakers who was at the meeting where such was discussed outside Nigeria.

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In the heat of the suspension of two of the lawmakers, Moshood Oshun and Raheem Adewale, the speaker himself accused one of them of ‘stealing’ vouchers for the purchase of cars and releasing same to the public. The speaker’s argument is that this lawmaker was the one that constantly pestered him about the documents of the official cars they got as members. Suffice to state that from my understanding, Oshun and Olumuyiwa Jimoh were part of the speaker’s kitchen cabinet, but as it is known, personal ambition can be a source of blindness. That is part of what the compass points at.

First, in pooh-poohing the narrative that 80 cars were bought for a particular amount, what the accusers did not make known was that in Lagos, the practice had been that a lawmaker gets an official car and a backup car which is usually smaller. The documents? It is common sense that since the cars still belong to the government at that particular time, the documents would be officially kept till when the government deems it fit to sell off the cars to the beneficiaries. What, again, some did not understand, is that there was a bidding process after the lawmakers all agreed to the particular type of cars they wanted. This was evident in their confirmation.

There was the claim of the speaker buying a bullet-proof car and inflating the price. Some human rights groups, including Human Rights Monitoring Agenda, HURMA, led by the Executive Director, Comrade Buna Olaitan Isiak, decided to latch on this ignorantly, fighting a blind cause.

A little investigation would have shown that the money was actually approved by the right channel, not even Obasa or the House. This was my own finding and it is awful to know that a group would not seek to understand a fight they got themselves engaged in. The speaker even called out Sahara Reporters asking the medium to come up with its facts concerning the story it excitedly published.

The medium, however, failed in this regard. Maybe it could not see anything indicting. Again, I understand that because it is the nature of news hunters to stay with their ears wide open, there emerged many speculative reports even in the face of a special parliamentary that was held and where the members all spoke with one voice that there was no tension as claimed. However, discretion, discernment may just be the watchword if I am to advise. This is so as to sieve fake stories from the real.

Discipline: In trying to paint Obasa in a colour not palatable, what was not known, perhaps subconsciously again, was the degradation of an institution that had stood its time and become a yardstick for the measurement of legislative practice in Nigeria and beyond. An interview granted by one of the demoted principal officers, Hon. Rotimi Abiru, gives credence to this. Who would have thought that Abiru, a learned lawmaker, would rush to the media for an issue that was decided by the majority only to disparage the position of the speaker? Also, there should have been consideration that the All Progressives Congress on one hand, and the Governor’s Advisory Council, GAC, have internal mechanisms through which issues are resolved and that is why Lagos has remained strong and an envy to the country. It was not Obasa that would have been degraded. It is the institution.

The speaker rightly said this on the occasion of the suspension and demotion of the affected lawmakers. “The parliament is a heartbeat of every democratic system, its sanctity, integrity and positive reputation should be guided and protected, hence discipline is a key and where it’s lacking, the hope of the people fizzle,” he had said. Days later, the speaker also said in a statement: “The legislature must remain strong at all times, especially in relation to Nigeria’s democracy because it is often the hardest hit when issues in the democratic journey pop up.”

As it is, like I said earlier, lessons must have been learnt. Obasa, like every single politician, is not a saint. But being a speaker, one should expect that he understands his duties and roles in keeping the legislature strong and shielded against disrepute.

Olusola, a political, social and rights analyst, wrote from Lagos.

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