Barely 48 hours after returning to the country from the United States of America and being unable to meet with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, a defiant former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, yesterday dared his colleagues, insisting that he remains the speaker of the state assembly.
This is just as the state lawmakers asked the residents of the state to ignore the rantings of the former speaker, warning him not to heat up the polity.
Addressing a mammoth crowd of his supporters at his official residence at the GRA, Ikeja, Obasa, who represents Agege, insisted that his impeachment did not follow due process.
According to him, the election of Hon. Mojisola Meranda as the new Speaker did not follow the law, declaring his removal null and void.
The embattled lawmaker alleged that a fake mace was used to install Meranda as Speaker, adding that hundreds of policemen invaded the assembly on the day of his removal to intimidate his loyalists.
Obasa also alleged that some policemen invaded his official residence on the same day and prevented members of his family in the house from coming out.
While vowing to resume as Speaker, Obasa also said he would challenge his removal in court.
“The speakership is not Obasa’s title; it is like a general. When you go to war, you may come out or you may not come back. So, I am not disturbed, perturbed or worried about the purported removal,” he said.
While hinting that the action must have had the tacit support of the executive arm of government in the state, he said that “however, things must be done properly. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police led police officers to invade the state assembly on the day of the removal, while over 200 policemen also invaded my private residence in Agege.
“They also blocked the gate to my official residence, while they prevented members of my family from going out of the house.
“I am not afraid of being removed; I have been a member of the House for almost 22 years and Speaker for almost 10 years and I think I have contributed my quota. But why did they have to break the chamber and use a fake mace to carry out the removal? If they say they don’t want me again, it is fine, but let them follow due procedure. My status in the House is that I believe strongly that I remain the Speaker of the Assembly until the right procedure to remove me is followed,” he said.
According to him, the removal of speakers in the past was conducted in their presence, without police involvement and intrusion into the state legislative chamber.
“Rt. Hon. Pelumi is my brother and friend; when he was removed, he was on the floor of the House, probably even presiding.
When Hon. Funmi Tejuosho was removed, she was in the House and those who were suspended were also present. “There was no involvement of the police, and the legislative chamber was not broken into. A fake mace was not brought to the House. I’m not afraid of being removed. If you have been a member of the House for over 20 years and Speaker for almost 10 years, you don’t get disturbed. But let them follow the proper procedure, and let us close this matter,” Obasa added.
He debunked the allegation that he spent N16 billion to construct a gate at the assembly complex, describing the allegation as ridiculous.
Obasa said it was not possible to construct any gate with N16 billion, just as he also debunked the allegation that he bought 40 Hilux vans for N40 billion as a speaker.
Read Also: ‘My family was locked up during impeachment’, Obasa breaks silence
The former Speaker said he had not done anything wrong to warrant his removal, adding he had lived up to expectations, serving as a lawmaker for over two decades.
He stated that he believed so much in the assembly and would never partake in its destruction.
He appreciated members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for their love for the party and the state.
This Day