Lagos Assembly resumes plenary Thursday as Meranda retains Speakership seat

The Lagos State House of Assembly would be resuming plenary session on Thursday (Today) as Rt (Hon) Mojisola Lasbat Meranda survived the speakership battle that had been on since the removal of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.

In a notice of plenary resumption issued by the Acting Clerk, Mr Abubakar Ottun, and sighted by WESTERN POST, the sitting is expected to begin at about 11am today.

Since the removal of Obasa, the House had been in serious leadership crisis as there were moves by Obasa to return to the speakership of the House, but the lawmakers remained united and sustained their support for the Mojisola Meranda Speakership.

Although, it was gathered that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was unhappy with the way and manner the former Speaker was removed but that critical stakeholders pleaded with the party leadership to allow the decision of the lawmakers stand since it was a majority decision.

It would be recalled that the lawmakers held meetings with the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) twice on the speakership tussle wherein pressures were mounted on the lawmakers to rescind their decisions but all to no avail.

WESTERN POST had reported that in the last marathon meeting held at Lagos House in Marina on Monday, the lawmakers stood their ground on their choice of Meranda as Speaker, rejecting the idea of making a ranking lawmaker from Lagos West Senatorial District the Speaker. Also, the lawmakers vehemently rejected the reinstatement of Obasa and pleaded with the GAC and party leadership to allow the independence of the Legislature to reign in Lagos.

One of the lawmakers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told WESTERN POST that the long battle had made legislative works experienced setback, saying that even if meetings were summoned 10 times, they will still stand behind Meranda as Speaker.

The lawmaker said they have made up their mind on Obasa’s removal and that no amount of pressure on them could change their stand.

As it is, Meranda remains the Speaker of the 10th Assembly while the removal of Obasa stands. Although Obasa has the right to approach the Court after failed political moves to regain the seat.

Whether Obasa would resume sitting with his colleagues as floor member today is what political watchers are yet to know as he still occupies the official Speakership lodge at Joel Ogunnaike in GRA-Ikeja, as at the time of filing this report.