DSS seals Lagos Assembly Speaker, deputy’s offices
In the early hours of Monday, men from the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force raided the Lagos State House of Assembly, sealing off the offices of the Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, her deputy, and the clerk of the house.
By 10 am, armed security personnel had taken control of the premises in Alausa, Ikeja, and were frisking passersby.
Meranda arrived at around 11:15 am with her convoy.
This incident comes in the wake of a legal battle initiated by Mudashiru Obasa, the former Speaker of the House, who is challenging his removal from office. Obasa has filed a lawsuit at the Ikeja Division of the State High Court, seeking an expedited hearing of his case.
Obasa, who was in the United States when he was removed on January 13, 2025, has claimed that his ousting by 32 out of 40 members of the assembly was akin to a “coup.” His removal was backed by President Bola Tinubu, but the decision has sparked division within the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the political decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.
Obasa’s suit challenges the legality of his removal and names both the Lagos State House of Assembly and the current Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, as defendants.
The suit, filed by Obasa’s lawyers, led by Chief Afolabi Fashanu, SAN, seeks several orders, including one for an expedited hearing of the case. Obasa is requesting that the court shorten the time frame for the defendants to respond to the lawsuit and for him to file a reply on points of law.
The application is based on nine grounds, including the interpretation of various sections of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Rules and Standing Orders of the Lagos State House of Assembly. The suit challenges the constitutionality of the sitting and proceedings of the Assembly on January 13, 2025, when Obasa was removed. It argues that the Assembly acted illegally by sitting during its recess without the Speaker’s consent or the authority to reconvene the House.
Obasa is urging the court to expedite the case, citing the public interest and the need to prevent a halt to legislative activities in the state. He also emphasizes that none of the parties involved will suffer any injustice if the application for expedited hearing and shortened response times is granted.
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