DSS, Police, storm Lagos Assembly, seal Speaker, Deputy’s offices

Operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force on Monday morning, February 17, 2025, stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly and sealed up the offices of the Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, her Deputy and that of the Clerk of the House.
It was gathered from eye witness at the Assembly that the armed security personnel also took over the premises situated at Alausa, Ikeja, and environs frisking every passersby.

The embattled former Speaker of the House, Hon Mudashiru Obasa, had file a suit at the Ikeja division of the State High Court against members of the State House of Assembly challenging his removal as the Speaker of the House and prayed the Court for accelerated hearing of his suit.
The embattled former Speaker was removed in absentia by 32 out of the 40 members of the Assembly on January 13, 2025.

Obasa was removed from office as Speaker when he was on vacation in America, a development allegedly later described by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “coup” thus generating controversy with members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), an apex political pressure group of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Lagos, divided over the removal of Obasa as Speaker.

Towards this end, Obasa in the suit, was challenging the legality of his removal from office and seeking for the legal interpretation of several constitutional provisions and the legitimacy of the Lagos State House of Assembly’s proceedings.

Obasa in the suit is also challenging the constitutionality of the sitting held on January 13, 2025, in which he was impeached as Speaker, stressing that the sitting when the House was on recess violated constitutional and legislative procedures since there was no formal reconvening of the House by the Speaker or an authorized representative.
Obasa sought for expedited hearing to address the legality of the ongoing sitting under the current leadership, stressing that it was crucial to resolve the issue swiftly in the public interest.

The embattled former speaker also urged the Court to shorten the time for the defendants to respond to the summons and for the claimant to file any necessary replies in view of the urgency of the matter.

Obasa averred that granting the application would not prejudice any party or result in injustice.