Former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Mudashiru Obasa has spoken out for the first time after being removed from office, calling the corruption allegations against him “fictitious and unsubstantiated.”
Speaking at a welcome rally at his home in Joel Ogunnaike GRA, Ikeja on Saturday, Obasa insisted that he was not frightened of being impeached but stressed the importance of due process.
The former Speaker claimed that his removal was planned while he was away, and he accused the State Commissioner of Police of assisting the operation.
He alleged that security agents led by the Police Commissioner attacked the Assembly complex and his homes in Agege and Ikeja, trapping his family inside while over 200 officers were present.
“If I am not speaker, that’s not the end of the world. If you want to claim that I am corrupt, please prove it,” Obasa stated.
He dismissed allegations of misappropriation, mocking claims that a gate construction cost N16 billion, saying, “Is it the wall of Jericho?”
He added, “I am not afraid of being removed, after all it is not my father’s chieftaincy title. I am representing my people and they have returned me six times. If you want to do anything, do it well.
“They did the removal all because I was out of the country. Lagos is a special place, we cannot denigrate the state.
“When former speaker, Rt. Hon Jokotola Pelumi was removed, he was in the assembly and we did not invite policemen. When my sister, former deputy speaker of the House, Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuosho was removed, we did not invite the police.
“They should not discredit an innocent person, they should prove their allegations against me. The Lagos State House of Assembly is above common standard of excellence.
“I believe in the image of our institution, we must not destroy it and I will never partake in its destruction.
“I appreciate the members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) and Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu of the state, he is my brother and he always calls me his younger brother.”
Obasa was impeached on January 13 by more than two-thirds of the 40-member legislative house over alleged misconduct and sundry offences.
His deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was immediately elected the new Speaker, becoming the first female to take charge of the legislative body in the South-West state.
