The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has stated that there is no plan to force the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, to resign. The party made this known while addressing concerns over the leadership crisis in the House.
This clarification follows a peace meeting held by Obasa with his fellow lawmakers, just a day after his re-election as Speaker. The meeting aimed to mend relationships and restore unity within the Assembly.
Obasa has also reportedly agreed to withdraw the lawsuit he previously filed to challenge his removal. His re-election on Monday came after Mrs. Mosisili Meranda stepped down from the position of Speaker.
To address the leadership dispute, key APC leaders, including the chairman of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), Pa Tajudeen Olusi, the Lagos APC chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, and the Attorney-General of the state, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, met with lawmakers who opposed Obasa.
There had been speculation that part of the agreement reached during negotiations was that Obasa would step down 48 hours after his return as Speaker, making way for a new leader from Lagos West, as demanded by 34 lawmakers. Reports suggested that the lawmakers pushing for this arrangement expected a formal letter confirming the decision.
However, Lagos APC spokesman Seye Oladejo dismissed the claim that Obasa’s resignation was part of the settlement. “To the best of my knowledge, there was no time the arrangement for Obasa to resign came up in the terms of settlement of the crisis,” he said.
When asked about the withdrawal of the lawsuit, Oladejo added, “I’m aware that any moment from now, Obasa will withdraw the lawsuit in the interest of renewed peace and progress of the House in particular and the party in general.”
Meanwhile, Obasa held a closed-door reconciliation meeting with 39 lawmakers at the Assembly complex. The meeting, which started at about 2:10 p.m., was attended by Deputy Speaker Meranda and was aimed at calming tensions among the lawmakers.
A reliable source revealed that Obasa is expected to withdraw his case against the House of Assembly and 33 lawmakers at the Ikeja Court. Additionally, it was reported that the House has been instructed to resume its activities the following day.
