By The NewsMata,
The impeached Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday defended his decision to preside over a plenary session with only four out of 40 lawmakers in attendance, insisting that he cannot force members to attend.
Speaking on TVC where he addressed concerns over the session’s legitimacy, Obasa said, “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.”
The 36 members loyal to Mojisola Miranda had rejected Obasa’s leadership, and this they demonstrated by shunning the plenary presided over by him though they were present at the complex.
An apparently unruffled and defiant Obasa, however, insisted that he remained the Speaker of the Assembly. “I’m the Speaker, I remain the Speaker of the Lagos Assembly. When I became the Speaker, all my colleagues supported me,” he said.
Questioning the process that led to Mojisola Meranda’s emergence as Speaker, he asked, “How was Mojisola Meranda elected as Speaker? By breaking into the chambers?”
He reiterated that any attempt to remove him must comply with constitutional provisions.
“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 stated.
On the impact of the crisis on the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Obasa dismissed speculations of division within the party.
“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,” he asserted.
He further downplayed any suggestions that the ongoing rift was linked to the 2027 governorship race.
“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,” he concluded.