The leadership crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly is far from over. The possibility of resuming plenary sessions anytime soon is bleak.
The ongoing litigation between Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and 36 lawmakers have brought the legislative activities to a grinding halt.
Although a date for the latest adjournment in the case between Obasa and the lawmakers at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, will be communicated to the parties involved.
The ruling is the latest development in the contentious case, which has seen multiple applications and counter arguments.
The case, which came up on Monday 17 March, was full of expectations that all cases would be withdrawn and the business of the House of Assembly would continue.
This was because the lawmakers were at the weekend preceding the March 17 adjournment in Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, at the behest of President Bola Tinubu to call the warring factions to order.
After the closed door meeting, they left the villa seemingly happy, chanting ‘on your mandate we shall stand,’ only for the case to commence on Monday without any hint that it would be withdrawn.
In fact, when the court sat in the morning and adjourned to 2pm, it was thought that they went to fine tune the withdrawals but alas, it was not so.
As the case continues, the business of making laws and making life easy for Lagosians remain on hold till further notice.
At the Federal level, the House of Representatives is required to sit for a minimum period of 181 plenary sessions in a year, the Lagos State Assembly’s inactivity is raising concerns.
However, there is no clear cut out period of plenary sessions in a year for state assemblies.
Political watchers are worried that should this case last the whole year, then nothing would have been achieved in the state and there is no justification for receiving their salaries and other related benefits.
Another issue why plenary may not hold as the cases are ongoing is whether the lawmakers themselves will attend plenary and cooperate with the Speaker 36 of them locking horns in court with Obasa.
It could still be the same four members (Ayinde Akinsanya, Mushin 1; Noheem Adams, Eti- Osa Constituency 2; Abdulkareem Ayodeji, Agege 2; Hon. Olumoh Sa’ad Lukman, Ajeromi –Ifelodun Constituency 1) on the side of the Speaker that may likely attend plenary which is not enough to form a quorum thereby invalidating whatever law that may emanate from the House.
In spite of the imbroglio, it is on record that lawmakers sat more than they did this same time last year.
It was gathered that they went on a six-week break and resumed almost at Ramadan period to sit once or twice a week because of the fast.
This year, lawmakers sat a period of seven times since the former Speaker, Hon. Meranda took over on January 13.
Within 49 days, she set a record of five times. Obasa sat twice. The first was when security operatives invaded the Assembly with the withdrawal of the security of Madam Speaker.
He presided with four lawmakers on his side and the second one was when Meranda resigned. He again presided and adjourned sine dine till date.
Obasa returned from his trip abroad after his impeachment to insist that he remains Speaker. The APC moved in and a lot of intrigues took place which led to his reinstatement. He also went to court to challenge the process that led to his impeachment, maintaining that he was illegally removed.
Oluwole Kehinde, Editor, Nigeria Weekly Law Report shares his perspective on the situation.
He says: “My position surrounding the whole issue of the Lagos State House of Assembly is a picture that shows that the Assembly itself is not independent and that all is not well. It erodes public confidence in the institution.”
Moreover, the intervention by external forces in an open and brazen manner dictating what the assembly should do and how they should go about their business does not portend a good future for democracy. And I think that it is certainly not the best for our system.
To me, it is not right, it is not proper and it is condemnable. Unfortunately, nobody cares about what happens again around our political institutions because it is either people are settled or people are looking for what to benefit or people who have good intentions are shut out and all you have is promotion of political interest at the expense of the public interests and good governance.
At the end of the day, our politicians and their supporters benefit while society suffers.”
Activist and lawyer Monday Ubani advised the lawmakers to settle their differences and continue their legislative duties, noting that the state will suffer if the crisis persists.
“If they have cases in court, that means that they have not been doing their legislative duties. That also means they have not yet resolved the problem. Thank God they have not gone to the Rivers State situation.
“I think that they have been able to come to a compromise. Of course, the state will suffer for it but my advice to them is that they should settle whatever differences they have for the interest of the state and continue in their legislative duties,” he said.
