Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV), the Labour Party’s (LP) 2023 gubernatorial candidate, on Monday, slammed the situation at the Lagos Assembly.
He did not mince words in his assessment of the situation. Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, he described the unfolding events as a “show of shame” orchestrated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The APC has sort of normalised this idea of using intimidation and force to get their way, and that is what we saw today,” he said. “An attempt to intimidate the speaker to resign and step aside using armed men and the threat of violence, and that is unacceptable.”
The hallowed chambers of the Lagos State House of Assembly turned into a battleground of power, emotions, and political intrigue, when what should have been a routine legislative session became a scene of high drama as armed security officers, drawn from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), stormed the Assembly, barring Speaker Mojisola Meranda from entering for hours.
When she finally took her seat, her voice trembled, her emotions spilled over, and she fought back tears as lawmakers passed a vote of confidence in her leadership.
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For weeks, the Lagos Assembly has been locked in a bitter leadership tussle. The removal of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker and the election of Mojisola Meranda, who made history as the first female Speaker, have left deep fractures within the House. Though over 32 of the 40 lawmakers have thrown their weight behind Meranda, Obasa has refused to step aside, branding his removal ans illegal and dragging the matter to court.
Beyond the internal wrangling, Rhodes-Vivour sees a dangerous precedent being set—one where the use of force and intimidation replaces dialogue and due process. He called on President Bola Tinubu and the APC’s influential Governors’ Advisory Council (GAC) to rein in Obasa before the crisis escalates further.
“His (Obasa’s) leaders in the GAC, the president, should call him to order. Lagos State has advanced way past this. We don’t want to go to new lows. There are civilised ways to handle these things,” he said.
GRV also took aim at what he described as selective justice in the fight against corruption, noting that while the former Speaker was removed amid allegations of financial mismanagement, there has been little movement in investigating the claims.
“It’s unfortunate that all the allegations that were brought before the former speaker, all sorts of corruption allegations, we have not seen anything come out of it,” he lamented, calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to launch a probe into Obasa’s tenure.
The unfolding saga at the Lagos Assembly is more than just a political feud; it is a test of governance, democracy, and the rule of law in Nigeria’s most economically powerful state. For the people of Lagos, the real concern is not just who holds the Speaker’s gavel but whether their representatives are serving their interests or merely fighting for political survival.
