The speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, has maintained his position on the two removed principal officers and two suspended members of the house saying he stood by his decision.
Obasa spoke during Monday plenary on the hues and cries about the decision of the house and the following petition to the EFCC on the purchase of 80 vehicles, the newspaper report and other issues in contention.
He alleged that one of the suspended members leaked the voucher to the press and the petition to the EFCC was written by a close ally of the removed Deputy Majority Leader, and since they decide to toe that path there then no need for the conciliatory committee sut up to continue.
Obasa stated that the issue was not about official vehicles, but the backup vehicles and the money spent purchasing them.
“The official vehicles for the 9th Assembly were the issue. It was a deliberate action to paint the House in bad light. The people that stole the vouchers that were leaked to the press is the issue.
“I thank you for all you have said about the petition. We have discussed issues relating to divulging the discussions in the House. I said that the issue that came out in the Guardian Newspaper is traceable to Hon Moshood Oshun.
“He was asking me for documents of the vehicle given to him, he was the one that called me on the telephone that his vehicle was seized by Customs Officer.
“I once said that someone stole the vouchers of the vehicles. Where did he the journalist get the voucher he was quoting from if not for the role played by a member of the House.
“The writer of the petition is close to Hon. Olumuyiwa Jimoh. Some of the things he wrote were parts of what we have discussed,” he said.
Speaker Obasa then declared that if those who had been disciplined by the House were responsible for what was being spread all over the place, the committee set up on the issue should be dissolved.
“We have been sitting and we have been having parliamentary meetings. We must stand by the truth and the truth would set you free. There is no decision we take that we did not discuss in the Assembly. There is nothing hidden about the purchase of the vehicles, you can cross-checks.
This was supported by all lawmakers, who spoke on the matter and agreed that the Speaker was on the right path, adding that they all took the decision over the purchase of the cars together.
At the end of the plenary, the lawmakers passed a vote of confidence on the speaker of the assembly, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, over issues relating to the purchase of vehicles worth N2.4 Billion for the members of the Assembly.
The Speaker also declared that there was no going back on the suspension of four lawmakers by the House of Assembly.
The suspended lawmakers include; former Chief Whip, Hon. Rotimi Abiru (Shomolu 2), former Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Olumuyiwa Jimoh (Apapa 2), Hon. Moshood Oshun (Lagos Mainland 2) and Hon. Raheem Kazeem Adewale (Ibeju-Lekki 2).
In a petition, which was said to have been sent to the office of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and addressed to the office of the chairman of the commission with the title:
“Petition against Lagos State House Of Assembly Speaker, Mudhasiru Obasa on gross financial misconduct, criminal breach of public trust and abuse of office,” the executive director, Comrade Buna Olaitan Isiak, of the petitioner, Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA)
A petition Hon Rotimi Olowo, who claimed he went through the petition, said it was malicious and that it is against the image of the house.
