Lagos Assembly vs Sanwo-Olu: Speaker Obasa fires veiled shots over commissioner-nominees

The Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa has fired veiled shots at the state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the rejected commissioner-nominees.

The Lagos State House of Assembly last Wednesday confirmed 22 and rejected 17 out of the 39 commissioner-nominees sent by governor Sanwo-Olu for screening.

Reacting, Mr Obasa said it was unfortunate that whenever the house refused to be a ‘rubber stamp’ to a governor’s request, then it would be interpreted by the public that the lawmakers were fighting the governor.

Speaking during plenary on Monday, Obasa further said that the lawmakers took the right decision to reject the commissioner-nominees and that they will stand by it.

“If they have not done well, we have the right to say no and we have said no, so we are not going to be threatened. And it is good to advise a man living in a glass house not to throw stones, if not, the glass will soon be shattered,” Obasa said.

“So, that is my decision on what has been going on since the protest being planned to the write-ups to the TV series, all those I have heard while they were planning.

“We are about Lagos state and the people and we will continue to serve their interest because we are representing Lagos,” the speaker said.

He added that the house is not going to be “threatened by the civil organisations who wish to protest”.

“There is no basis for the house or myself to fight the governor. The governor is a friend and colleague in serving Lagos state,” he said.

“Whenever the house says no to a governor’s request, it is interpreted as the house fighting the governor.

“We will continue to work together and there is no reason to fight. But we have constitutional rights to say yes or no to his nominees.

“If anybody wishes to know the reason for the decision, they should approach the house. We will not be forced to spill our observations, and we reserve the right to expose the report of the screening.”