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TAYO OLANIPEKUN
It has been revealed that there was no sitting of the Lagos State House of Assembly on April 10, contrary to a report that lawmakers declined to attend the plenary session meant to be presided over by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Wasiu Sanni-Eshinlokun, after being informed by the Speaker, Honourable Mudashiri Obasa, he would not be available.
According to Nationalwire findings, the Deputy Speaker never presided over any sitting as almost all the 39 members of the house present in their offices to resume normal legislative business on that day, as the legislators, including the Deputy Speaker, did not have the knowledge of the Honourable Speaker’s absence.
This is as a source, a senior staff in the assembly, alleged that when the news later broke that the Speaker wouldn’t be available that Monday, some members voiced out their opinion that the Deputy Speaker should automatically step in, but some of the pro-Obasa lawmakers, led by Hon. Lanre Osun, vehemently declined.
A Member of the Assembly, however, said that the report that circulated in the media that the Legislators declined to attend a plenary presided over by Sanni-Eshinlokun for “lack of confidence in him is being sponsored by some Members of the House who have an axe to grind with the Deputy Speaker.”
The lawmaker said “some Members of the house were already in the chamber to move into plenary. There was no prior notice that the Speaker wouldn’t be around to preside over plenary, so we were not expecting anything strange. The bell to announce the time for sitting had been sounded and even few members, including Hon. Funmi Tejuosho were already taking their seats. It was at this point that the Majority Leader came with the news that the Speaker was not going to be around.”
According to the legislator, it was the Majority Leader that broke the news to Hon. Sanni-Eshinlokun, before they later got on the phone with the Speaker who then said he was not around, adding “there are CCTV cameras all over the assembly complex, anyone that wants to fault what I have said can come out.”
The lawmaker further noted, “the truth is, the Deputy Speaker did not have any plan to preside over plenary on that day, as there was no fresh order of proceedings (which could have been made if the Speaker had communicated his absence officially). There are many channels through which the Speaker could have communicated his absence to the members. There is a WhatsApp chat group that has all the 40 members of the house. He could have just dropped the message there and all members would have done the needful.
“No one was aware that the Speaker was not going to be around, since the whole house officially adjourned till Monday during the last sitting on April 4. For instance, Hon. Desmond Elliot, who was in South Africa for the Big Brother Naija finale the previous night, flew into Lagos in time, so that he would not miss plenary.”
Meanwhile, it was further alleged that the Speaker was later spotted in his office on Monday evening with one of his sons, whom he travelled to London with later that night for a son’s graduation ceremony.
Since the story came out, there has not been any official statement from the House and principal Officers, including the Deputy Speaker, whom the story is centred on, over the issue.
It was alleged that the cold war is thickening by the day as the lawmakers who are loyal to Obasa are plotting to even get the Deputy Speaker removed from office.
Meanwhile, other sources say that the Deputy Speaker has a strong backing in the house and enjoys a massive support from the political class in the state.
