Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Monday, passed a vote of confidence on the Speaker of the House, Mojisola Meranda expressing satisfaction with her leadership as Speaker.
This is despite the invasion of the Assembly earlier in the day by the Department of State Security (DSS) and Nigeria Police sealing the offices of the Speaker, her deputy, and the clerk of the House.
At plenary later in the day, the motion to pass the vote of confidence was moved by the member representing Oshodi lsolo State Constituency ll, urging her to continue the good work she was doing, noting that the lawmakers have absolute confidence in her administration.
“Madam Speaker, we have absolute confidence in your leadership and there is no better way to show this than to pass a vote of confidence on you to lead us.
“I want to state categorically clear that the elected members of this great Assembly duly elected you to be the Speaker of this great Assembly, we have the confidence and you have our support. Let me use this medium to say if you are in support of this motion, may you rise “he stated.
Armed security personnel were stationed at the Assembly premises in Alausa, Ikeja. By10 am, the entire area was under tight security control, with Meranda arriving at the Assembly around 11:15 AM.
Meranda received a rousing welcome from her colleagues and members of the Assembly staff as the operation follows on-going tensions within the Assembly, particularly regarding the controversial removal of the former Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.
Obasa, who was ousted on January 13, 2025, by 32 out of the 40 assembly members, has been engaged in a legal battle to challenge the legitimacy of his removal. At the time of his removal, Obasa was in the United States.
The former Speaker has filed a lawsuit at the Ikeja Division of the Lagos State High Court, seeking an expedited hearing of his case, which names the current Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, and the Lagos State House of Assembly as defendants.
His lawyers, led by Afolabi Fashanu, SAN, are asking the court for an urgent ruling on the matter. Among the reliefs sought is an order for accelerated hearing, as well as the abridgment of time for filing responses and replies.
The lawsuit is based on constitutional grounds, specifically challenging the legality of the January 13 proceedings, which Obasa argues were conducted in violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Lagos State House of Assembly’s rules.
Obasa’s legal team claims that the Assembly sat without the Speaker’s consent, raising concerns about the legality of the process that led to his removal.
(Business Day)
