On Tuesday, the reinstated Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, held a meeting with his fellow lawmakers.
The meeting held at the Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja was aimed at reconciling with his aggrieved colleagues following the leadership crisis which came to an end on Monday when the lawmakers reelected Obasa as Speaker.
Some lawmakers, who attended the meeting, and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agenda at the short meeting was not necessarily for reconciliation.
A lawmaker said, “First, one of the issues we raised as a reason for his removal happened again. A meeting scheduled for 1pm did not hold until 2.30pm. We were all kept waiting and when he arrived, there was no apology for the late commencement of the meeting.
“He went straight to the agenda after he passively acknowledged that we were still bitter with the way we were forced to bring him back and none of us contributed at the meeting.”
Another lawmaker said the meeting “was to update us on the case brought against us by the suspended Clerk, Olalekan Onafeko.
“The matter comes up on Thursday. Ordinarily, it is a civil matter, so we were concerned that he had to involve the Department of State Services, which further led to the invitation and arrest of some of our colleagues.
“Aside from these, nothing else happened. The meeting was short-lived.
“I want you to know that his return was not a selfless decision by us. It was done simply because we respect leaders like Baba Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun Osoba. In our hearts and souls, we do not want him up till this moment.”
The lawmaker said there was still anger within the House, adding that it would be difficult for the state legislature to remain the same.
A source in Obasa camp said Obasa had been meeting with the lawmakers.
“You know they also met on Monday. Before then, they have also been meeting, so it’s been ongoing. It’s just to reconcile, so they can work together,” the source said.
He added that Obasa is pushing for the return of Olalekan Onafeko as the Clerk of the House.
The source said, “Obasa is pushing for Onafeko to return but the lawmakers are adamant. Although some of them are already shifting ground and considering. Let’s see how it goes.”
