Lagos assembly crisis: APC forum sues for peace, backs Meranda

The All Progressives Congress (APC) States Assembly Forum (ASAF) has called on the nation’s security agencies to safeguard the legislative arm by protecting the newly sworn-in Speaker, Hon. Mojisola Meranda and her office. 

ASAF, which held its 35th congress on Tuesday in Kaduna, similarly called on the Lagos state lawmakers to ensure that they put their constituents first in their lawmaking processes, stressing that Nigerians truly needed dividends of democracy, and not leadership crisis. 

The APC group in a communique  issued at the end of the meeting, congratulated Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda on her election, pledged total support to her to move the assembly to greater heights. 

The communique signed by its director general, Ambassador Fubara Dagogo, described the election of Hon. Meranda as a step in the right direction, and commended the Lagos State House of Assembly for breaking the jinx, which made her the first speaker in the state.

Dagogo described the speaker as a true democrat who joined ASAF in the fight for the much deserved legislative autonomy.

The APC group similarly called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the crisis situation in the state legislature was nipped in the bud, adding that the decision of over 32 members of the assembly should be upheld, to ensure that the assembly was not set on fire over leadership tussle.

The forum agreed to pay a solidarity visit to the speaker where it would submit a position paper to the assembly on driving home the dividend of democracy, as well as expressing appreciation for her full commitment to legislative autonomy. 

“We commended the position of the Lagos assembly on the appointment of Hon. Mojisola Meranda as the new speaker. The appointment, for those of us who have followed the footsteps of Hon. Meranda, is a commendable decision. She has remained at the forefront of our desired fight for legislative autonomy. 

“We urge all that are concerned to give her the massive support because we are convinced that she will deliver perfectly and expectedly. 

“She has a good track record as a lawmakers and we have followed her footsteps diligently and are convinced that as the new speaker, all she requires is the total support of members to move the assembly out of its current crisis 

“We, therefore, urge President Bola Tinubu, who is the father of the nation and Lagos state in particular to prevail on all members of the assembly to give peace a chance and allow Hon. Meranda to carry out her legislative role as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly,” the communique read in part.