Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Friday, moved to consolidate his grip on the House.
To achieve this, the Speaker has reconstituted nine committees and named new leadership for the committees.
The development was contained in a memo secretly circulated to members and some staff of the House, on Friday.
The memo signed by the Clerk of the House, Azeez Sanni, and titled ‘Reconstitution of House Committees’, read in part, “Following the approval of the leadership of the House, please be informed that the following House Committees have been reconstituted with effect from Friday, 20th March, 2020.”
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Curiously, the two sacked principal officers, Hon. Rotimi Abiru (Somolu 2) and Hon. Olumuyiwa Jimoh (Apapa 2) were demoted to take charge of what a source in the assembly described as ‘lesser’ committees.
Hon. Abiru, before his demotion was Chief Whip and Chairman, Ethics and Privileges Committee of the House, and was by the new development, named Committee Chairman, Inter-Parliamentary.
Hon. Jimoh, on his part, is expected to chair the Central Business District committee.
Hon. Obasa also removed the two suspended lawmakers, Hon. Olanrewaju Oshun and Hon. Kazeem Raheem Adewale, as the Chairmen of Public Accounts (State) and Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, respectively.
Consequently, Hon Raheem is expected to chair Establishment, Training, and Pensions while Hon. Olanrewaju is expected to chair the Legislative Compliance committee.
Other Chairmen listed in the reconstituted committees include Hon. Olatunji F. Oluwa (Tourism, Arts and Culture); Hon. Makinde Rasheed (Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations); Hon. Solaja-Saka Nurudeen (Public Accounts (State); Hon. Mojisola Alli-Macaulay (Women Affairs, Poverty Alleviation and Job Creation) and Hon. Rauf Age-Sulaimon (Procurement).
This latest move is coming just few days after Obasa announced after plenary that there was no going back on the decision to punish the lawmakers, while a Committee set up to look into the issue was immediately dissolved.
A source told Thepledge that Obasa has turned down efforts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to reconcile the warring factions in the House in a bid to resolve the lingering crisis.
According to the source, the Speaker believes that the National leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was on his side and hence could call the bluff of the party elders’ position.
The aggrieved lawmakers, the source affirmed are also waiting for Tinubu’s intervention in the crisis before deciding to approach the judiciary or resort to other available options.
