Mudashiru Obasa, the ousted Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has defended his decision to preside over a plenary session with only four lawmakers in attendance, asserting that he cannot compel members to be present.
The Assembly, which consists of 40 lawmakers, witnessed a significant number of absentees during a recent session, despite many being present within the complex.
In an interview on TVC, Obasa stated, “I can’t force people to attend plenary. How many of them were present? If they say four, the most important thing is that we held the session.”
Obasa, who continues to assert that he remains the Speaker of the Assembly, further emphasized, “I’m the Speaker, I remain the Speaker of the Lagos Assembly. When I became the Speaker, all my colleagues supported me.”
He also raised questions about the legitimacy of Mojisola Meranda’s election as Speaker, suggesting that her emergence involved questionable actions. “How was Mojisola Meranda elected as Speaker? By breaking into the chambers?” he asked.
Despite the ongoing crisis, Obasa maintained that any attempt to remove him must follow constitutional procedures. “I want to believe that we are law-abiding. I’m not against removal, as they call it impeachment, but if you’re going to remove somebody, you must comply with the constitution,” he affirmed.
Regarding speculations of a rift within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Obasa downplayed the claims, declaring, “The APC is one family in Lagos, under the same roof. Our party is not divided under the chairmanship of Cornelius Ojelabi and under our leaders in the GAC.”
Obasa also dismissed suggestions that the internal conflicts were tied to the upcoming 2027 governorship election, stating, “This issue has nothing to do with governorship ambition. Sanwo-Olu is doing well; no reasonable person should be thinking of governorship now. Sanwo-Olu has two more years.”