By Olasunkanmi Akoni, Ebunoluwa Sessou & Efe Onodjae

THE crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly took a dangerous twist, yesterday, following the resumption of the “impeached” Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, who with the aid of security operatives, broke the locks of the Speaker’s office and chambers and presided over a four-man plenary.

As it is, the House is now effectively broken into two factions, a 36-man faction led by Mrs. Mojisola Meranda, which is on indefinite adjournment, and the four-man faction led by Obasa that has resumed. Events unfolded at a dizzying pace in the complex yesterday. About 8a.m., police escorts assigned to Meranda were withdrawn. Security personnel guarding the Assembly complex were redeployed and replaced on Monday.

Four hours after the withdrawal of Meranda’s security details, Obasa, whose security details as speaker had been restored, about 11.30a.m., stormed the Assembly with armed security operatives and supporters, and according to sources inside the complex, forced his way into the speaker’s office. Some 26 lawmakers loyal to Meranda were seated in the garden when a black jeep drove straight to the Speaker’s office. They refused to enter the chamber in apparent loyalty and support to Meranda, the first female speaker of the House. Access roads to the complex were taken over by people suspected to be Obasa’s supporters, who arrived at the scene in unmarked Kombi buses. Motorists were forced to drive through alternative routes as all entrances were blocked to traffic. Obasa presides over 4-member p lenary Thereafter, Obasa presided over a plenary with four other members at the chamber for over three hours till about 3.30p.m. The four men are Ayinde Akinsanya, Mushin Constituency 1, Noheem Adams, Eti-Osa Constituency II, and Abdulkareem Ayodeji, Agege 11.

I’m back, nothing like impeachment —Obasa

Speaking to journalists, Obasa said: “I was on vacation and I am here which means that the House is on. There is nothing like impeachment and I have said it openly. “The impeachment or removal or whatever it is called is undemocratic and unconstitutional. To achieve that, you must follow the due process. I am not against being removed. If I do that, then, I am undemocratic but all we are saying is that let us go through the normal process to achieve that. “I do not have anything against anybody, all my colleagues have always been my brothers, loyal, dedicated and have a strong commitment to serve the people of Lagos and we will continue to do that together. “For me, I have no reservation, nothing against anybody and not have any case like removal in court. APC is a family party, everybody has his or her opinion. Obasa is the speaker.”

35 lawmakers stand with Meranda

Meanwhile, 35 of the 40- member Assembly have resolved to stand firmly behind Meranda. The lawmakers, who had earlier on February 17, passed a vote of confidence on Meranda, dared all consequences to stand by their earlier decision, yesterday.

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 as 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. We’ve done no wrong, our leaders should stop embarrassing us —Ogundipe Also, the Chairman House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Mr. Stephen Ogundipe, who commended the media for doing their duties in the face of humiliation, said: “We are shocked at what is happening today. Our leaders have to tell us where we went wrong. We will not take laws into our hands just as we have also urged the staff members that they should not take laws into their hands. “We all belong to different constituencies and we have our mandate. Whatever happens, the leadership should speak with us and not this charade that we are seeing. “We are not happy and we are shocked to see what is happening, despite the fact that this is Lagos, the centre of excellence where everything starts and stops.

“We have been law-abiding and we have not gone out of our way against the State or anybody. “We have shown every sense of responsibility to show that we have been elected and appeal to the leadership of our party that we cannot continue this way. “He (Obasa) has taken us to court and it is for us to follow due process, but what we are seeing today is a charade. It is an embarrassment and totally uncalled for. “For me, entering the gate of the House of Assembly was hell. I was stopped by the security operatives that I cannot enter the Assembly. It is an embarrassment and it must stop.

“We have said it clearly, we are not against the leadership decision but they need to call us and tell us to our face. They should call us and stop embarrassing us this way. We reject Obasa in totality.” Yesterday’s events followed a mild drama at the Assembly on Wednesday, when a former and suspended Clerk, Olalekan Onafeko, appeared at the Complex to resume duty in his office but was politely turned back from gaining access.

Onafeko was the clerk of the House before January 13, when he was removed as clerk along with Obasa as Speaker. The embattled clerk allegedly came with his lawyer, two security personnel and men said to be DSS, as well as one unidentified person in an attempt to reclaim his seat as clerk at about 9am but was denied access. Obasa was removed by 36 of the 40 members of the House on January 13, 2025, and Meranda was elected as speaker. Consequently, controversy has continued to trail the change in leadership of the House, with President Bola Tinubu, members of Governance Advisory Council, GAC, Governor Sanwo-Olu, and All Progressives Congress APC leaders’ intervention yet to yield positive results.

Police withdrawal from Meranda dangerous —Ganzallo

Special Adviser on Information to the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Victor Ganzallo, condemned the withdrawal of Meranda’s security aides, describing it as alarming, and dangerous for political dynamics in the state. In a statement, he said: “It is important to stress that Mojisola Meranda was duly elected by her colleagues, and her leadership was reinforced with a strong vote of confidence. “The timing of the withdrawal of security, combined with the hostile actions of the former Speaker and his associates, raises the question: Is this politically motivated, or is this part of a larger strategy to destabilise the current administration? “This troubling development is also noteworthy for what it might signify about the underlying gender dynamics at play. Could this act of aggression be a reflection of the deep-seated bias against female leadership in the political arena?”

Police authorities return policemen to Speaker Meranda

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh has given reasons police details were withdrawn from Meranda and other VIPs, and stated that the personnel had been returned. However, at press time, an aide to the embattled Speaker said the police called to inform them that the security personnel would return but were yet to do so. CP Jimoh explained that the withdrawal of policemen attached to eminent personalities was to allow them partake in the ongoing periodic audit of police personnel, an exercise he described as a police statutory laid down procedure which was not limited to Lagos State Police Command.

Briefing journalists at the Command’s headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday, the command boss disclosed that the police deployment at the Lagos State House of Assembly had been reinforced and fortified with more three personnel of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) units, Counter Terrorism Units, Special Protection Units, the Bomb Squads, as well as the conventional police teams and detectives. In addition to these was an Armoured Personnel Carrier and other vehicular patrol teams to prevent any untoward incident, he said.

“Whatsoever has been done in the Lagos State House of Assembly today (yesterday) the Lagos State Police Command is not in the know. The Police don’t have responsibilities in the hallow chamber, we are limited to providing adequate security coverage for the House of Assembly and not to be involved in any other matters of politics inside the premises, except if there is a complaint that borders on crimes and safety.” The Lagos Police Command will continue to be neutral and not get involved in any politics.”

The CP said: “The ongoing police personnel audit in the Lagos State Command is done in absolutely public interest and not with any other considerations, except for the safety of all in the State. “As I speak with you, the audit of the police personnel attached to Hon. Mojisola Meranda has been completed and the four armed personnel attached to her from the Lagos State Police Command have been returned back to her for her protection. “It is pertinent to also 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 individual.

“Periodic audit of police personnel attached to eminent personalities and groups alone,is to ensure that the police personnel are accounted for including their firearms and other police crime fighting equipment in their possession.”

Why I challenged my suspension in court-Ex-clerk

Meanwhile, the suspended Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Olalekan Onafeko, has resumed, saying his resumption was based on the court’s reinstatement order. Onafeko approached the National Industrial Court, NIC, to challenge his indefinite suspension by the House and the court ordered for his reinstatement pending the determination of a suit he filed against the state government and others. Addressing journalists in his office, yesterday, Onafeko stressed that he was appointed as Clerk in 2022 to serve a fouryear term and was eligible for reappointment under the Lagos State House of Assembly Legislative Service Commission Law. He also expressed his confusion over the suspension, stating that he was not given prior notice and did not commit any offense to warrant such action. Onafeko said with the court’s order reinstating him as clerk of the House, the court has eliminated the illegality and the legislative rascality by the lawmakers.

“By implication, the Court has ordered that I resume my duties as the Clerk of the House pending the hearing of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction already filed in the suit. The said order has been duly served on the concerned parties. “This is a victory for the rule of law and ethos of a civil society. The Court is indeed the last hope of the common man including the oppressed,” he said.