The reinstated Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Olalekan Onafeko, has resumed back to his duty post, saying his resumption is based on court’s order.

Onafeko was suspended by the House on January 13, the same day Mudashiru Obasa was removed by 36 of the 40 lawmakers sitting on the fateful day.

However, Onafeko approached the National Industrial Court (NIC), to challenge his indefinite suspension by the House and the court ordered for his reinstatement pending the determination of suit he filed against the state government and others.

Addressing journalists in his office on Thursday, Onafeko emphasized that he was appointed as Clerk in 2022 to serve a four-year term and was eligible for reappointment under the Lagos State House of Assembly Legislative Service Commission Law.

He also expressed his confusion over the suspension, stating that he was not given prior notice and did not commit any offense to warrant such action.

Onafeko said with court’s order reinstating him as clerk of the House, the court has nipped the illegality and the legislative rascality of the on bud.

“By implication, the Court has ordered that I resume my duties as the Clerk of the House pending the hearing of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction already filed in the suit. The said order has been duly served on the concerned parties.

“This is victory for the rule of law and ethos of a civil society. The Court is indeed the last hope of the common man including the oppressed”, he said.

Police authorities in Lagos have restored the security details attached to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Mojisola Meranda.

Meranda’s security details were withdrawn on Thursday morning, leading to heightened tension in the Lagos Assembly speakership tussle.

But during a briefing hours after the move, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State Moshood Jimoh cited personnel audit as the reason for the withdrawal.

“As I speak with you, the audit of the police personnel attached to Hon. Mojisola Meranda has been completed, and the police personnel attached to her from the Lagos State Police Command have been returned to her for her protection,” the commissioner said on Thursday evening.

“It is pertinent to state that the ongoing police personnel audit has been on for several days now, and prominent personalities and individuals have been complying with the process. The exercise, once again, is not aimed or targeted at any individuals,” the commissioner told the gathering.

‘Never Been Removed’?

Mudashiru Obasa at a press conference in Lagos on Saturday, January 25, 2025

The withdrawal of Meranda’s security aides added a fresh twist to the Lagos State Assembly crisis. The Apapa lawmaker had replaced Mudashiru Obasa as the speaker of the assembly after the latter was accused of impropriety.

But on Thursday, Obasa stepped into the Lagos Assembly complex with some of his supporters and insisted he is still the speaker of the House.

At the entrance of the Assembly, his supporters were heard chanting solidarity songs for the Agege I Constituency lawmaker.

“Obasa is the speaker,” he told reporters in one of his few public appearances since he was removed.

“I’ve never been removed. Impeachment or removal is democratic and constitutional but in doing that, you must follow the due process. I am not against that. If I do that, then I am not democratic,” Obasa insisted.

However, some Lagos lawmakers loyal to Meranda rejected Obasa’s insistence and argued that Meranda remains the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The Lagos Assembly crisis reached a new level on February 17 when some security agents and legislative workers had a clash in the House. But thirty-six lawmakers passed a vote of confidence on Meranda thereafter.

The Kano State Government has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order the removal of Emir Aminu Ado Bayero from the Nasarawa Palace in Kano, citing the need to restore peace and stability.

The government alleged that certain individuals were exploiting the emir’s continued presence in Nasarawa Palace to fuel unrest across the state.

Speaking at the Kano Government House during the distribution of relief materials provided by Tarauni Federal Constituency Representative, Hon. Kabiru Dahiru Sule, the Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, reiterated the administration’s stance, calling on the president to intervene.

“We are calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove the emir he enthroned and kept in a graveyard,” Gwarzo said.

“The people of Kano, especially the youth, are tired of this nonsense. It is shocking that in a democratic setting, security forces are being deployed to fire teargas at peaceful protesters, with some reports even alleging the use of live ammunition.

“In the evening, military vehicles patrolled the city, even parking in front of my house. But we want to make it clear that there is no intimidation. This is a democracy, and democracy must be upheld, whether some people like it or not. We stand firmly with the youth who took to the streets to express their grievances.

“The president should remove the emir he appointed and take him to his own state. Kano already has an emir and that’s Muhammadu Sanusi II. Today, regardless of who you are, even if you are the ‘Emir of the World,’ you cannot appoint an emir in Kano unless you are Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.”

Gwarzo further asserted that keeping Emir Aminu Ado Bayero in Nasarawa palace is a deliberate attempt to destabilize the Kano State Government and hinder its ability to govern effectively.

The deputy governor acknowledged the recent protests by Kano residents, emphasizing that peaceful demonstrations are a fundamental right in a democratic society.

He condemned the security forces’ actions in dispersing protesters and arresting some of them, insisting that the people of Kano have the right to demand the removal of Emir Bayero.

He reiterated the state government’s demand for President Tinubu to act swiftly in removing Emir Bayero.

The Kano State Government emphasized that the law facilitated the appointment of the former Emir, and the same law has now reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II. Therefore, the government insists that the rule of law must be upheld and allowed to take its course.