By Kolawole Ojebisi
The lingering leadership crisis rocking the Lagos State Assembly may have taken a turn for the worse.
This is as the ousted speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, stormed the assembly complex on Thursday around 12.noon
It was learnt that Obasa was in the company of some security officials, when he entered the Speaker’s Office
Meanwhile, in another development, the security aides of the Speaker, and Obasa’s replacement, Mojisola Meranda, have reportedly been withdrawn.
The Chief Press Secretary to Meranda, Segun Ajiboye, confirmed the latest in a short message on Thursday, accusing Obasa and his team of allegedly breaking into the office.
“In the early hours of Thursday, we woke up to the startling news that all security details assigned to Madam Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, had been withdrawn. This includes the police and DSS officers, leaving her exposed to threats amid the ongoing speakership crisis,” the aide disclosed.
The aide further appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the state’s Chief Security Officer, to intervene urgently to prevent a potential breakdown of law and order.
It was gathered there was a foretaste to the Thursday’s development on Wednesday, when Olalekan Onafeko, the former and suspended Clerk of the House, attempted to resume duty at the Assembly complex.
However, he was politely turned away by security personnel.Onafeko, who was removed alongside former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa on January 13, allegedly arrived at the complex around 9 a.m.
“He, the suspended clerk, was politely told by the lawyer of the State Assembly to leave the complex peacefully as the matter is already in court,” an eyewitness revealed.
A viral video captured Assembly staff booing and jeering at Onafeko, chanting unfavorable slogans as he was escorted out of the premises.
In response to the incident, the management of the Lagos State House of Assembly, through a statement signed by Chief Security Officer Kushoro Idowu, condemned the development.
The ongoing crisis stems from the January 13 removal of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
Obasa was ousted by 32 out of 40 members of the Assembly.
Following his removal, Mojisola Meranda was elected as the substantive Speaker.
Despite interventions from President Bola Tinubu, the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), Governor Sanwo-Olu, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), efforts to resolve the leadership dispute have so far yielded no positive results.
