Lagos Assembly Crisis: How Security Agencies Are Abetting Desperate Politicking
By; Yahaya Kana Ismaila
Thursday, the 27th of February 2025, witnessed one of the lowest displays of desperation when the erstwhile Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, pretty much bundled his way back into the state assembly building — and into the office of the Speaker. What made this brazen act even more disturbing was that Obasa was shielded by heavily armed men, mostly of the Nigerian Police Force but also operatives from other security agencies, as he trampled on the grounds of the state legislature to the shock of elected assembly members.
Recall that Obasa had been ousted as Speaker of the state assembly by a clear majority of the house, and his erstwhile deputy, Hon. Mojisola Meranda, was overwhelmingly preferred as the new Speaker. Since that action, controversy has continued to trail the Lagos State House of Assembly.
First, it was men of the Department of State Services (DSS) who, while purportedly responding to a possible breakdown of law and order, turned around and made the assembly complex a circus for high-handedness and harassment of lawmakers. A day after that tasteless event, reports emerged of a cache of pump-action rifles allegedly discovered inside the office of the Speaker — a development that added a dangerous twist to the unfolding crisis.
On Thursday, just before Obasa’s appearance at the assembly complex, it was reported that the security details of Hon. Meranda — guaranteed to her by law as the substantive Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly — were allegedly withdrawn by only God knows who. In the same breath, state security operatives were re-attached to Mudashiru Obasa, under the protection of which he charged into the house complex, purporting to reclaim his office.
While I will refrain from commenting on the politics of the assembly, where the majority of members continue to insist that Obasa was rightly removed as Speaker — even after his latest display of desperation — my greatest worry lies with the instrumentality of our security agencies in promoting such acts of lawlessness.
Questions must be asked: Who authorised the withdrawal of Hon. Meranda’s security details — privileges guaranteed to her by law — and on what grounds were those same privileges transferred to an ousted Speaker? Perhaps we should also ask: whose interests are being served by fueling this lawlessness? Or is the police authority now responsible for selecting speakers of state legislatures?
As sad as the unfolding drama in Lagos is, it is not an isolated case. In Kano, the police continue to stand by an ousted Emir despite his lawful removal as reaffirmed by highest court in the land. Not long ago, the police issued a politically motivated bomb scare in Kano, all in a bid to halt a political event organised by the governor of the state who is from an opposition party. Just last week, the police issued yet another scaremongering alert to the people of Osun, claiming they had intelligence suggesting a possible breakdown of law and order during the local government elections. The same thing happened in Rivers. Needless to say, all three events came and went without any security incidents.
It is rather disheartening that the police and other security institutions — backed by law to protect the Nigerian people — continue to position themselves as willing tools to be used to harass and intimidate the very people they were originally expected to protect.
As we continue to make the case for independent institutions, the police and their sister agencies must begin to purge themselves of the tendency to be unleashed on law-abiding Nigerians. The police must know that their legitimacy and continued existence can only be guaranteed by the trust of Nigerians — a trust they seem to be working very hard to lose.
In all the instances quoted above, our president — who commands our armed forces — has remained aloof. Opposition politicians have attributed this to political interests, and this is most unfortunate. Regardless of the political party on whose platform a president emerges, he must learn to purge himself of petty politics once he assumes office, especially on matters of security. The president must always be of Nigeria — not of any political party.
While it may be impossible to wean the president off political affiliation with his party, it is certainly reasonable to expect a level of neutrality from him when it comes to issues that affect the majority of Nigerians. This same principle applies to governors, local government chairmen, and all other positions of authority.
As the situation in Lagos continues to unfold, I want to join other well meaning Nigerians to respectfully urge Mr. President and Governor Sanwo-Olu to step hard on the brakes. The time has come to save the Lagos State House of Assembly from further public ridicule.
Yahaya writes from Kana of Nassarawa LGA in Nasarawa state.