Lagos Assembly Crisis: Speaker Obasa Says Aggrieved Members Bent On Tarnishing His Image, Gets Some Backing

By Akinwale Kasali

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has finally broken his silence, condemning the allegations of Financial misappropriation  recklessness and abuse of office leveled against him by some members of the House.

He also condemned the Human Rights Monitoring Agenda Group,  HURMA, led by Comrade Olaitan Buna Isiak, saying the group is being  sponsored by one of the suspended members.

Obasa stressed that he did everything he did, including the purchase of the alleged Cars with the knowledge of the members, contrary to the allegation that it was shrouded in secrecy.

HURMA had called on the EFCC to investigate Obasa, demanding that he should step down as Speaker, until he is vindicated by the anti-graft agency.

However, some of the lawmakers have shown solidarity with Obasa, pledging to swim and sink with him, no matter the situation.

Hon. Rotimi Olowo, representing Shomolu Constituency 1, Under the Matter of Urgent Public Importance, said that the lawmakers unanimously took the decision to buy the SUVs, a Toyota Prado,  for each member, at a parliamentary session involving all the members.

The lawmaker stressed that during the parliamentary session in question, while some wanted the value of the cars converted to money, others opposed the earlier decision by the Speaker to get them a Toyota Fortuna.

Olowo, however, stated that the petition calling for the investigation of the Speaker on Financial misappropriation and recklessness was malicious and against the good image of the House.

“It was stated that the House bought vehicles worth N2.4 billion. Since I joined the House of Assembly, we always got two vehicles before the end of the Assembly.

“In 2007, I got a vehicle and a back up vehicle before the end of the Assembly. The vehicles are always budgeted for and it has been like that right from the time of Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji.

“We always told the Speaker that the 8th Assembly could not wind up without a back up vehicle for each of the members.

“The Speaker used to tell to us that the resources were not available and we later got the back-up in April, 2019.

“In the 9th Assembly, we just got our official vehicles in November/December, 2019.

“None of the 11 new members got two vehicles. We insisted on Prado Jeep and Mr. Speaker didn’t want to give us, but we insisted on it.

“We are all beneficiaries of the largesse and yet we go about making insinuations and leaking information to the whole world,” Olowo said.

Olowo further noted that the petition was full of lies meant to soil the leadership of the House.

“We also said that the buses that we were using for committee works were bad and we insisted that he should buy a new set and he did,” he said.

Corroborating Olowo’s submission, Obasa stated that the issue was not about official vehicles, but the backup vehicles and the money spent purchasing them.

“The official vehicles for the 9th Assembly was the issue. It was a deliberate action to paint the Me and the House in bad light. The people that stole the vouchers that were leaked to the press is the issue.

“I thank you for all you have said about the petition. We have discussed issues relating to divulging the discussions in the House.

“I said that the issue that came out in the Guardian Newspaper is traceable to Hon. Moshood Oshun.

“He was asking me for documents of the vehicle given to him; he was the one that called me on the telephone that his vehicle was seized by Customs officers.

“I once said that someone stole the vouchers of the vehicles. Where did he get it from if not for the role played by a member of the House.

“The writer of the petition is close to Hon. Olumuyiwa Jimoh. Some of the things he wrote were parts of what we have discussed,” he said.

Obasa disclosed that those who had been disciplined by the House were responsible for blackmailing allegations being spread.

Obasa also denied the fact that there was any crisis in the Assembly but said whatever was done was collective.

“We have been sitting and we have been having parliamentary meetings. We must stand by the truth and the truth would set you free.

“There is no decision we take that we did not discuss in the Assembly. There is  nothing hidden about the purchase of the vehicles, you can cross-checks,” he said.

He also recalled that it was Hon. Rotimi Abiru, the former chief whip, who said that it was a failure on the part of the leadership of the Assembly that they were not given backup cars and houses then.

He then wondered why the same Abiru was going about with information that are against the demand he made of the House.