Another Crisis? …Speaker Obasa Shuts Down Lagos Assembly With Out Informing Members

Eniola Ajayi

Details available to societynow.ng have it that Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly has ordered a shutdown of the complex housing the legislative body.

The closure starts from Monday, July 13, 2020, till Sunday, July 19, 2020 societynow.ng gathered.

Insiders disclosed that Speaker Obasa unilaterally took the decision.

Sources who should know disclosed that the Clerk of the House Azeez Sanni communicated the development via a post to a forum that hosts the staff of the House of Assembly.

The message by Sanni – unedited – simply reads ‘’ ALL COMMITTEE MEETINGS, ASSIGNMENTS AND VISITS TO LAGOS STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY IS HEREBY SUSPENDED FROM MONDAY, JULY 13TH TO SUNDAY, JULY 19TH, 2020.
WORK RESUMES MONDAY, JULY 20TH, 2020.
ANNOUNCER
THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE.’’

Societynow.ng gathered that it was from the staff that other elected members of the House of Assembly learned of the closure of the Assembly.

Insiders disclosed that a larger percentage of them members frowned over the ‘’unilateral decision’’ and ‘’have resolved to take it up with the Speaker’’.

Societynow.ng gathered that ‘’though the members see it as a plausible reaction to the death of influential member Tunde Braimoh who died of Covid-19 earlier in the day, many raise eyebrows that the Speaker unilaterally took the decision and also the fact that they heard it from staff,’’

Societynow.ng gathered that before the development, Speaker Obasa was engaged in a running battle with some of the members over allegations of ‘’taking vital decisions without consulting others.’’

One such episode is said to have resulted in a spat and walk-out when the Speaker insisted another member Moshood Oshun should sit on a particular seat during plenary.