5 days ago
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Oladotun Hassan, Chairman of the Eti-Osa Bar Forum, has called on the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda, to step down if she is unable to effectively lead the legislative body.
Hassan made these remarks during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday while discussing the chaos that erupted at the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday. Security operatives had sealed the Speaker’s office amid the ongoing leadership dispute.
Early Monday morning, a heavy deployment of police and task force personnel surrounded the premises, locking the offices of the Speaker, her deputy, and the Clerk of the House. This fueled speculation about Meranda’s possible resignation. Despite the security presence, a plenary session was held, during which members passed a vote of confidence in Meranda. Majority Leader Temitope Adewale then moved a motion to adjourn plenary indefinitely, which was unanimously approved by the House.
Speaking on the issue, Hassan emphasised that leadership should not be driven by emotions but by a commitment to fulfilling constitutional duties with strength and integrity.
“What happened yesterday ought not to be and I don’t think it’s a matter of gender,” he stated. It’s about asserting her legal duty, not about crying. I don’t believe in the sentiment of shedding tears. It’s a matter of your duty. She needs to rise up and continue the office duty.
“Lagos cannot be shut down sine die. You have been invited to lead by constitutional matter. What brought Meranda was because she was elected alongside Obasa to lead the House as a functionary member of the House.”
Hassan strongly criticised the current state of affairs within the Assembly, questioning the legitimacy of Mudashiru Obasa’s continued claim to the Speakership. He argued that Meranda was duly elected and should either rise to the challenge or step aside for a more capable leader.
“If Meranda seems not to openly have capacity to confront Lagos issue, let her resign and let another person be put in place.”
He also criticised the involvement of external forces, particularly the police and the Department of State Services (DSS), warning that such interference could further escalate the crisis. He urged the DSS national headquarters to investigate the matter to ensure that due process is followed and that legislative activities in Lagos are not compromised by personal or political interests.
He said, “It’s most regrettable to see how things have fallen apart in a centre that should hold the centrality of power and that is the legislative arm of government. It has now become a current debacle that our hallowed chamber has now become most dishonourable that anything goes.
“The Lagos House of Assembly debacle, I believe I have to first of all blame Obasa for that inferno because you were never elected a speaker and no member of the house has been elected a speaker. It’s a privileged position. Over 38 members gave their support for the deputy speaker. That should give Obasa a clear cut that he is no longer in the position. Imposing himself is now an impersonation. Presenting himself as a factional speaker is not something that should be allowed by law. And in this situation, I will still call the commissioner of police and the DSS to readdress their activities because I don’t think they understand the script of their duties by going into the house. Being invited by the same acting clerk of the house where the speaker Meranda is seating, shows a kind of dislocation somewhere. Maybe someone changed the scripts upon their arrival at the scene to go defend who they were meant to defend and they now turned against the people. I think there is a need for the national headquarters of DSS to investigate this whole issue.”
He also added, “Unfortunately, the house should not even adjourn sine die. There’s no reason, because Lagos cannot be shut down on the premise of this crisis. And the functionality of the executive if the house shuts down sine die, is the executive shutting down? So there’s a missing link somewhere.”
Meranda made history on January 13 as the first female Speaker of the Lagos Assembly after Mudashiru Obasa was removed while he was out of the country. However, upon his return, Obasa contested the process, arguing that due procedure was not followed and insisting that he remained the legitimate Speaker of the House.
Melissa Enoch
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