Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda
By Akeem Atoyebi
Men of the Department of State Security, DSS, and Nigeria Police, in the early hours of Monday, stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly, and sealed off the offices of the Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, her deputy and clerk of the house.
As of 10 am, armed security personnel were seen at the premises at Alausa, Ikeja, and environs frisking every passersby.
Meranda, however, arrived with her convoy at about 11.15am.
It could be recalled that the embattled former Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, has taken the state lawmakers to court challenging his removal as the Speaker of the Assembly.
Obasa, it was learnt has filed a motion at the Ikeja Division of the State High Court, where he is also seeking an accelerated hearing of his suit.
Obasa was removed in absentia by 32 out of the 40 members of the state Assembly on January 13, 2025. He was in the United States of America when he was removed in a situation described as “coup,” by President Bola Tinubu.
The development has generated controversy with members of the Governance Advisory Council, GAC, an apex political decision making body in All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos, divided over Obasa’s removal.
Obasa, in the suit, was challenging the legality of his removal from office.
The motion, made available to Vanguard Media was filed on Wednesday, 12 February, 2025, names the Lagos State House of Assembly and Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, current Speaker of the House, as defendants.
the House.
“Public interest requires the case to be heard and determined speedily and expeditiously so that legislative activities in the State is not stalled.
“The legality of the continued sitting of the 1st defendant under the present leadership in violation of the aforementioned laws and rules calls for an urgent determination;
“The nature of this action is such that is required to be heard and determined expeditiously having regard to the exceptional circumstances surrounding same;
“There is need to abridge the time within which the Defendants may file their response to the originating summon as well as time within which the claimant/Applicant may file its reply on point of law; and
“This Honourable Court is imbued with inherent powers to grant accelerated hearing and abridgment of time; and
“It is expedient to grant accelerated hearing of this action and abridgment of time for parties to file the relevant processes in the interest of justice.”
Obasa maintained that none of the parties to the case would be prejudiced or suffer any injustice by the grant to his application.
