The Assembly of Lagos Youths has condemned the impeached Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, for saying he remains the Speaker because his removal did not follow due process.
The group, therefore, called on the state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to beef up security around the House of Assembly to prevent anarchy and a breakdown of law and order.
It also urged the state Attorney General to promptly initiate legal proceedings against Obasa for the statement.
Obasa earlier said he remains the rightful speaker, citing constitutional provisions as the basis for his assertion.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the declaration was made on Saturday during a welcome event hosted in his honour by supporters from Agege, Alimosho, and Kosofe local government areas in Ikeja GRA.
Obasa’s impeachment on January 13, 2025, was a result of allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office, which led to his deputy, Mojisola Meranda, being elected and sworn in as his successor.
Despite this, Obasa has described his impeachment as unlawful and null and void.
Obasa argued that the impeachment process didn’t adhere to constitutional procedures. Despite this, he’s expressed willingness to accept his removal if it’s done in line with constitutional guidelines.
“I have been a parliamentarian for over two decades and I’m the longest serving ember in the Lagos State House of Assembly and no one as we speak has surpassed my history, position and everything,” he said.
“I believe in removal, there is no impeachment in the assembly; you cannot impeach speaker. Probably there is a mistake from them. You can only remove the speaker and if you want to remove, you must ensure you follow the rules. I am not afraid of being removed, what else am I looking for?”
“What I’m saying: if you want to do that, do it constitutionally. Follow the due process,” he said.
Reacting to this, Comrade Lasisi Robert, Convener of the Assembly of Lagos Youths, in a statement on Saturday, described Obasa’s statement as careless, noting that “32 of the 39 Honorable members of the Lagos State House of Assembly impeached him”.
“Mudashiru Obasa stands impeached and no going back. He is no longer the speaker of Lagos State. He has never represented the interests of Lagos well but had used our resources to feed fat, marry countless women, build luxurious apartments both in Nigeria and overseas without proper representation to show,” the group said.
It noted that in a democracy, the statement made by Obasa is “purely invitation to anarchy”.
It said, “Constitutionally, there is always a speaker in the state and for Obasa to have made such statement is treasonable felony and an intent to raise arm against the state.
“The process of removing a Speaker of a House of Assembly in Nigeria is outlined in the Constitution. According to Section 92 of the Constitution, the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly shall vacate his office if he ceases to be a member of the House of Assembly, when the House first sits after any dissolution of the House, or if he is removed from office by a resolution of the House of Assembly by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of the House.
“This means that to remove a Speaker, a resolution must be passed by at least two-thirds of the House members. In this instance 32 out of the 39 removed the speaker and fulfilling the two third majority principle; RT Honorable Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa stands impeached.
“Flowing from the above constitutional procedure, the implication of the statement is that we should expect armed thugs, street urchins, cultists, area boys on Monday the 27th of January, 2025 to escort the speaker to the house.”
The group, therefore, called on the “Executive Governor of Lagos State as the Chief Security Officer of the State to beef up security around the Lagos State House of Assembly as Anarchy looms in the State”.
“We are also calling on the office of Attorney General of Lagos State to immediately commence prosecution against Hon Mudashiru Obasa for making such reckless statements,” it added.(SaharaReporters)
