A former National Legal Adviser of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Muiz Banire (SAN) has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against moves to return Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
While in the United States, Obasa, representing Agege Constituency 1 was on January 13 removed by 33 out of the 40 lawmakers that make up the House on grounds of alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office. He was replaced by his deputy, Mojisola Meranda.
Upon his return to the country, the former speaker faulted the process for his removal, saying that it did not follow due process.
President Tinubu, irked by the action of the lawmakers had allegedly given orders to them to return Obasa as Speaker and allow him to voluntarily resign.
However, the lawmakers during a meeting with the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the apex decision-making organ of the APC, whose decisions are binding on members had stood their grounds and insisted on Meranda as the new speaker of the House.
In his article titled ‘Lagos Assembly Leadership-Old Gimmicks At Play’, Banire said those nursing the dream of Obasa’s return are clowning, warning that any attempts to impose him on his colleagues will backfire.
“There is a process for the emergence of leaders that is known to all the initiated members of the ruling party in the State. Grandstanding in circumstances of this nature is therefore short of loyalty to the system that, in the first instance, produced the occupier of such office”.
“I am quite optimistic that there is no basis for apprehension as I am sure that Mudashiru Obasa is not going to approach the House to preside as Speaker until such time that the court says otherwise. Any ranting on the pages of newspapers or on social media is therefore not only a waste of time but mere exacerbation of the already precarious situation of the embattled Speaker”.
“My advice, therefore, to the removed Speaker, is to mute himself for now, otherwise his affairs will continue to earn him adverse media reports as each utterance by him will not only be generating a new set of media reactions but that which will be largely inimical to his interest. His media strategist needs to guide him in this regard. As the rhythm plays, I see a repeat of the old political gimmicks again”.
“Over the weekend, pictures suggesting a meeting of the President with the embattled Speaker was in circulation all over social media. Certainly, it was an old picture of the visit of the then Speaker to the President, as no such meeting took place most recently. The whole scenario was orchestrated to throw confusion into the political arena”.
“As a follow up to that, news started suffocating social media that the embattled Speaker was about to be returned based on the order of the President. Again, that attempt to paint Mr. President in that toga of a dictator and dress him in a garb that does not belong to him will certainly backfire in this regard as I do not see him imposing a member over thirty-eight other members who have unanimously rejected that person”.
“As I remarked elsewhere, the dreamers of such eventuality must certainly be clowning. In this intervention, I have come in peace except if and when eventually called out”.
On a final note, Banire advised Obasa to return to the chamber peacefully and continue representing his people in Agege Constituency 1 , which was the primary reason he was elected as a member of the House.
“Let the removed Speaker honourably go back to the House and continue representing his people as a member. That is the primary duty and obligation he owes the people he claims to be representing and not Speakership by all means. Hopefully, this will be my last discourse on this issue while I leave the rest of the intrigues to the politicians”.
