A pro-democracy and Pan Yoruba group, the South West Initiative (SWI) has backed the Lagos State House of Assembly over the process used in removing Hon. Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker while condemning a recent statement in which the lawmaker claimed he is still the speaker.

The group frowns on Obasa’s claim to be the leader of the Lagos Assembly despite his removal by 32 out of the 39 House members.

In a statement issued on Sunday, January 26, the Director General of the group, Razaq Olokooba declared that Obasa’s claim was “baseless, delusional” and insisted that his impeachment was democratic and devoid of any illegality against his claims.

While affirming support for the new speaker of the Lagos Assembly, Hon. Mojisola Meranda, the group stressed that the ousting of Obasa was a popular decision taken by most lawmakers and stands no possibility of being reversed.

The group warned the embattled Agege lawmaker (Obasa) to desist from acts that will foment trouble in the state or destabilize the peace enjoyed by Lagos residents. They revealed their plans to work assiduously to defend democracy and stop thug attacks on lawmakers.

“Mudashiru Obasa stands impeached, we stand with the Lagos assembly because the impeachment process was democratically done in broad daylight and no going back. So for us, Obasa is no longer the Speaker of Lagos State House.

“We vehemently condemn Obasa’s recent position where he was still laying claim to the office of the speaker, that his assertion is an error, incitement and can be an “invitation to anarchy.

“So, Obasa should be warned against making comments that could incite unrest in the state; If the former Lagos Speaker does not agree with the decision of his colleagues, he can simply go to court and seek redress.”

The statement further read:
“The Constitution is crystal clear about the removal of a speaker and in Obasa’s case, it was followed.

“Speaker of a House of Assembly can only be removed by a resolution passed by at least a two-thirds majority of the House members. With 32 members of the Lagos Assembly voting in favour of Obasa’s impeachment, the constitutional requirement has been met.

“According to Section 92 of the Constitution, the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly shall vacate his office if he ceases to be a member of the House of Assembly when the House first sits after any dissolution of the House, or if he is removed from office by a resolution of the House of Assembly by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of the House.

“This means that to remove a Speaker, a resolution must be passed by at least two-thirds of the House members. In this instance, 32 out of the 39 removed the speaker and fulfilled the two-thirds majority principle, so the Agege lawmakers stand impeached.

“We call on Lagos state government and security agencies to take note of Obasa’s vituperations which can potentially throw the state into anarchy if adequate care is not taken,” the group warned.

It will be recalled that Obasa upon return to the country from the United States of America after his impeachment had dared his colleagues, insisting that he remains the speaker of the state assembly.

The embattled lawmaker made this known while addressing a mammoth crowd of his supporters at his official residence at the GRA, Ikeja on Saturday, insisting that his impeachment did not follow due process.

Likewise, the state lawmakers have asked the residents of the state to ignore the rantings of the former speaker, warning him against heating up the polity.