JUST IN; 36 Lagos Assembly lawmakers react to Obasa’s return, reveal the real Speaker

Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have faulted the claim by the impeached speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa,that he had returned to the assembly as speaker.

A member of the assembly, Mr Stephen Ogundipe, spoke with reporters on Thursday in Ikeja ,on behalf of the 36 members of the assembly who impeached Obasa in January.

Ogundipe said all the 36 lawmakers rejected Obasa’s ” forcible entry” into the assembly complex ,insisting Mrs Mojisola Meranda remained the Speaker.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)reports Obasa had told reporters shortly after he arrived the assembly complex on Thursday that he was not removed .

The impeached speaker also said he was back at the assembly to take charge.

NAN reports that the visit was Obasa’s first appearance at the complex after he was impeached by his colleagues in January over alleged misconduct and financial impropriety.

The impeached speaker returned on a day the security details of Mrs Mojisola Meranda, who was elected by the lawmakers immediately after his removal, were allegedly withdrawn.

Victor Ganzalo,Meranda’s media aide ,who confirmed the withdrawal of his principal’s security aides in a statement, also said all personnel providing security at the assembly complex had been withdrawn.

Ogundipe ,who is the assembly’s spokesman, said the manner in which Obasa entered the complex and his office was not proper.
He alleged that Obasa broke into the Speaker’s office.
Ogundipe said the support of the 36 lawmakers for Meranda was unwavering.
He said: “This is Lagos and this is Lagos State House of Assembly and we were approached by our leaders that we should remain calm and take things easy until they resolve the issue.
“It is an embarrassment that to even enter the gate we were stopped and told by security operatives that we cannot enter assembly. It is an embarrassment and this must stop.

“We are shocked to see what is happening today and we are still expecting our leaders to come and tell us where we went wrong or what really went wrong.
“Before the intervention of our leaders, we won’t take laws into our hand just like I told the assembly’s staff that they should not take laws into their hands.

“This is Lagos and this is the centre of excellence. This is where everything starts and stops. We have been law-abiding and I don’t think the 36 members have gone out of our way.
“So I am appealing to the leadership of our party that we cannot continue this way. We have been taken to court so due process should have been followed”,he said.
(NAN)

Impeached Lagos Speaker Obasa presides over Assembly plenary with four members

The former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has resumed presiding over the assembly’s plenary session, despite ongoing disputes surrounding his impeachment.

The session, which took place on Wednesday afternoon, saw Obasa chairing the proceedings with just four other members present, following a dramatic series of events that included security personnel forcing open the chamber doors.

The plenary began at 3 p.m. and continued until approximately 3:30 p.m. during which Obasa led the session, asserting his position as the rightful Speaker.

However, the majority of the Assembly, with more than 26 members present but not participating in the session, appeared to show solidarity with the current Speaker, Mojisola Meranda.

Obasa, who was removed from office on January 13 while abroad, has repeatedly stated that his removal did not follow the correct procedures.

He emphasised that while impeachment is a democratic and constitutional process, it must adhere to due process and legality.

In his own words, “I’ve never been removed. Impeachment or removal is democratic and constitutional, but in doing that, you must follow due process. I am not against that. If I do that, then I am not democratic.”

Obasa’s return to the assembly and his defiant stance come after Meranda’s swift installation as Speaker in his absence. Despite the turmoil, Obasa maintains that he is the legitimate Speaker and continues to challenge his removal, vowing to reclaim his position.

BREAKING; FAAC; Federal Govt, States, LGAs to share N1.703trn for January

The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), has shared the sum of N 1.703 trillion revenue among
the Federal Government, states and the Local Government Councils (LGCs) for January.

This is according to a communiqué made available to newsmen at the end of FAAC meeting by Mr Bawa Mokwa, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) on Thursday in Abuja.

According to the communiqué, the N1.703 trillion total revenue comprised statutory revenue of N749.727 billion, Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N718.781 billion.

It also comprised Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N20.548 billion and Augmentation of N214 billion.

It said that the total gross revenue of N2.641 trillion was available in the month of January.

“Total deduction for cost of collection was N107.786 billion while total transfers, interventions, refunds and savings was N830.663 billion,” it said.

It said that gross statutory revenue of N1.848 trillion was received for the month of January.

“This was higher than the sum of N1.226 trillion received in December, 2024 by N622.125 billion.

“Gross revenue of N771.886 billion was available from Vat in January, which was higher than the N649.561 billion available in Dec. 2024 by N122.325 billion,” it said.

The communiqué said that from the N1.703 trillion total revenue, the Federal Government received the sum of N552.591 billion and the state governments received N590.614 billion.

“The LGCs received the sum of N434.567 billion and a total sum of N125.284 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting states as derivation revenue.

“On the N749.727 billion statutory revenue, the Federal Government received N343.612 billion and the state governments received N174.285 billion.

“The LGCs received N134.366 billion, and the sum of N97.464 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting States as derivation revenue,” it said.

The communiqué further said that from the N718.781 billion VAT revenue, the Federal Government received N107.817 billion, the state governments received N359.391 billion and the LGCs received N251.573 billion.

It said that a total sum of N3.082 billion was received by the Federal Government from the N20.548 billion EMTL, from which the state governments received N7.192 billion and the LGCs received N10.274 billion.

“From the N214 billion augmentation, the Federal Government received N98.080 billion and the state governments received N49.747 billion.

“The LGCs received N38.353 billion, and a total sum of N27.820 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting States as derivation revenue.

“In January, VAT, Petroleum Profit Tax, Companies Income Tax, Excise Duty, Import Duty and CET Levies increased significantly while EMTL and oil and gas royalty decreased considerably,” it said. (NAN)