By Ebunoluwa Sessou

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, has distanced himself from the series of protests that have trailed the All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Assembly primaries in Lagos State, warning against attempts to drag his name into the controversy.

Obasa also condemned what he described as efforts to make him a scapegoat for the protests that have erupted across various parts of the state following the conduct of the party’s primaries.

On Tuesday, party members from several local government areas, including Badagry, Mushin, Amuwo-Odofin, Eti-Osa, Somolu, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Oshodi-Isolo, staged a protest at the APC Secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja. The protesters accused party leaders of manipulating the outcome of the primaries and demanded greater transparency in the process.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests that have swept across the state since the Lagos APC released a list of candidates said to have emerged victorious in the primary elections.

Amid the unrest, messages circulated on WhatsApp alleging that the Speaker had committed as much as N2 billion to sponsor and coordinate the protests.

Reacting to the allegations, Obasa dismissed the claims as false and malicious.

“It is foolhardy, malicious, misleading and baseless for anybody to assume or imply that I will import or mobilise protesters from different local governments to the secretariat. To achieve what exactly?” he queried.

The Speaker noted that he was not a candidate in the disputed elections and therefore had no reason to bankroll protests.
“I am not a candidate in the disputed election, so why and how will I devote such an amount of money to organising protests?” he said.

Obasa further stressed that he remains committed to the unity and stability of the party, adding that he would never support actions capable of causing division within the APC.

“I am a peace-loving party man, and I abhor the use of my name and office for any form of illegality or to sow division within the party,” he stated.

Reaffirming his loyalty to the party, the Speaker said his focus remains on promoting peace, unity and progress within the APC and across Lagos State.

“My steadfast commitment remains the unity, peace and progress of our great party and the people of Lagos State,” Obasa added.