- Mojisola Meranda labelled Obasa’s actions as a "show of shame" following his entry to preside over a four-member parliamentary session
- Meranda revealed the reduced number of security personnel accompanying her after Obasa’s controversial visit to the Assembly
- Lawmakers attended the hearing of Obasa’s impeachment case at Lagos high court
Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mojisola Meranda has criticised former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa’s actions as a ‘show of shame’ after he entered the Assembly complex, accompanied by security personnel, and held a parliamentary session with four members.
Meranda made the comments on Friday, February 28, following a court session in the case filed by Obasa, challenging his impeachment. The legal battle, according to Meranda, was just beginning, and she urged all involved parties to allow their legal teams to manage the situation.
“This is actually just the beginning. Just like what happened in there, both parties have their representatives, and I think we should allow the legal team to do their job,” Meranda said.
Meranda responds to Obasa’s assembly session, calls it 'theatre'
Obasa had entered the Assembly complex on Thursday, accompanied by security personnel, and proceeded to preside over a four-member parliamentary session.
Reacting to this, Meranda said, “I think he is still a member of the House of Assembly, so he has every right to come, but the invasion and breaking into my office, that is really a big one.
“To me, that was just a show of shame because, in our job, we have numbers that form a quorum. So if you are sitting with three or four members, you are only doing theatre,” she added.
This came after Obasa filed a lawsuit against both the state government and the Assembly, challenging the legality of his removal. He had been removed by 36 members of the Assembly, but he rejected the decision, arguing that the process was flawed.
Meranda calls Obasa’s forced entry 'unacceptable’
35 lawmakers who had supported Obasa's removal attended the hearing at the Lagos State High Court on Friday. After the session, Meranda reiterated that while Obasa retained his membership in the House and had the right to access the complex, forcibly entering the Speaker’s office was unacceptable.
She also mentioned that while her security detail had been restored after being withdrawn, it was not the previous number she had.
“I have three or four policemen, whereas my normal convoy, my team… 12 policemen, four DSS, and two anti-bomb units. But I don’t have that this morning,” she said.
Lagos Assembly: Obasa claims Meranda agreed to resign as Speaker
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Mudashiru Obasa claimed Meranda publicly confirmed resignation at a peace meeting with party leaders.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police clarified the withdrawal of Meranda’s security as an administrative process.