Some lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday berated the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state following the resumption of embattled Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.

The lawmakers described Obasa’s return as a charade and an embarrassment that must stop.

In January, members of the Assembly impeached Obasa over allegations of misconduct and misappropriation.

Following his removal, his deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was sworn in as the new Speaker.

However, Obasa contested the action, arguing that his removal did not follow due process.

On Thursday, the embattled lawmaker stormed the Assembly complex, declaring that he had resumed as Speaker because he was never legally removed.

The lawmakers, however, insisted that the APC leadership in the state must explain why Obasa returned as Speaker despite urging them to remain calm.

Addressing journalists within the complex, the lawmakers said:

“We appreciate the press for carrying out your duties despite all intimidations. You are here, you still see us—this is Lagos, and this is the Lagos State House of Assembly.

“We were approached by our leaders to remain calm and take things easy, but we were shocked to see what is happening today. We are still expecting them to come and tell us where we went wrong or what really went wrong.

“We won’t take the law into our hands, just as I told the staff not to do so. But we all represent different constituencies and have our mandates.

“Whatever happens, the leadership should engage with us directly and not subject us to this charade. We are not happy with what is happening, especially considering that this is Lagos—The Centre of Excellence—where everything starts and stops.

“We have been law-abiding and have not acted against the state or anyone. But we also demand respect, dignity, and recognition as elected representatives.

“I’m appealing to our party leadership: we can’t continue this way. You can see us. They have taken us to court, but what we are witnessing today is a charade—it is uncalled for.

“It is an embarrassment. When I arrived at the gate, security operatives stopped me and told me I couldn’t enter the House of Assembly.

“This must stop. We have made it clear that we are not against the leadership’s decision, but they should call us and speak to us directly—not leave us to hear rumours.

The Lagos State House of Assembly has said it is expecting former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa to resume into the House before it determines the next line of action, including a possible probe.

The spokesperson for the House, Olukayode Ogundipe, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with The TheNigerian on Monday at the Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja.

Ogundipe said, “On the other allegations against him, when he is on the ground physically, those ones will be taken care of.

“There are other things we’ve also been hearing about different amounts of money being spent by him. We felt we didn’t know how they got the record of those, but the ones we have, when he’s seated with us, actions will be taken.”

Asked if the Assembly would submit a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe the ex-Speaker, the Assembly spokesperson, representing Oshodi Constituency I, said, “That will be expatiated when he’s on the ground, probably a committee will be set up to look into it or probably it will also be looked at by the leadership of the House.

“Those formalities as per procedures will be followed to the letter. So I’m sure you should expect the House to react to that when the time comes.”

The lawmakers had last week removed Obasa, citing, among other things, corruption allegations.

But Obasa, who spoke publicly on the matter last Saturday, dismissed the corruption allegation raised by the lawmakers.

He also said his removal was unprocedural, insisting that he remained the authentic Speaker.

“If you want to claim that I’m corrupt, please prove it, let us see it,” Obasa told supporters who welcomed him at the Speaker’s Lodge on Saturday.

But speaking with our correspondent on Monday, the House spokesman maintained that Obasa was lawfully removed.

Ogundipe said, “I want to say that the former Speaker, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa is still one of us and will continue to remain one of us and the process of his removal was constitutional.

“As I said, the constitution is very clear about the process of bringing him in in case we want to change the guard, that is the same procedure we also used to remove him. The process was duly followed, and the members, we know what we saw, and we intended to change guard and that’s exactly what we did.”

The TheNigerian reports that the Assembly failed to hold its plenary on Monday as earlier scheduled.

Security personnel were sighted around and on the Assembly complex’s premises as security was beefed up.

Security officials, including policemen, screened journalists and other individuals attempting to enter the Assembly.

Journalists were lined up at the second gate to the Assembly complex with security officials requesting their identity cards and barring other persons who could not identify themselves.

The heightened security at the Assembly followed Obasa’s comment on Saturday where he claimed to be the Speaker of the House until the lawmakers followed “the right process” to remove him from office.

The former Speaker was removed by a majority of the lawmakers on January 13, 2025, following allegations of misconduct and financial misappropriations.

 He was replaced by the former deputy speaker of the House, Mojisola Meranda.

Meanwhile, according to Ogundipe, the plenary was rescheduled to allow for the Assembly members to really settle down and to show that the House was peaceful.

Meranda officially entered the Office of the Speaker on Monday morning, flanked by lawmakers who threw their weights behind her.

Obasa did not show up at the Assembly on Monday even though Ogundipe maintained that “We are also expecting him to be here with us so that they can see it is not about the noise outside, it is a very calm place.”