•Lagos Assembly
A group under the All Progressives Congress in Lagos, Progressives Alliance, has accused the Lagos State House of Assembly of stage-managing the alleged Monday invasion of the assembly by officers of the officers of the Department of State Security Services.
The group in a statement today claimed yesterday’s event was stage-managed by the House leadership in order to give former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and President Bola Tinubu who is rumoured to have the former Speaker’s back on the issue bad names, reports The PUNCH.
The group’s Secretary, Segun Banjo, stated, “The House Committee Chairman on Information, Stephen Ogundipe, didn’t contradict the DSS. The only thing he said to the contrary was that the operatives went beyond their brief.
“We have it on good authority that Monday’s event was prearranged by the Meranda-led leadership of the House to tar President Bola Tinubu and Hon Mudashiru Obasa with the brush of an anti-democrat because it is the same House that invited the Department of State Security Services that also mobilised the civil servants to attack the operatives.
“So, where is the role of Tinubu and Obasa in the matter that the so-called invasion was attributed to them and they are being dragged into the court of public opinion? The same Obasa has been keeping to common sense including taking the case before the court.”
The House spokesperson, Ogundipe, has not responded to calls from our correspondent as of the time of filing this report.
Recall that there was chaos at the House following the mililtarisation of the assembly complex by DSS officials yesterday.
The crisis deepened following reported moves by ousted Obasa to return to the House today.
Obasa, who was removed by the majority of the lawmakers at the House on January 13, 2025, had last week approached the court to seek redress.
The Lagos assembly and the DSS had differed over the invasion, as the security agency noted it was invited by the House to beef up security.
“Contrary to reports by a section of the media that Department of State Services officers stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly, sealing offices of the Speaker and his deputy, it was the Assembly that invited security agents to maintain order.
“The clerk of the assembly wrote to us that there was a potential security threat to the Assembly and its members and requested to increase the number of operatives there and ensure strict access within and outside the assembly,” a top DSS official who spoke on condition of anonymity for not being authorised, told our correspondent.
In its defence, the House in a statement issued by the spokesperson, Ogundipe, late Monday, clarified why it invited the DSS to the House.
It argued that even though it invited the security agency, it did not ask them to seal the offices of the principal officers of the House.
We wish to categorically state that this is not the first time the House has sought security support from the DSS.
“However, it is important to emphasise that in all previous instances, the DSS operatives have been stationed at the main gate of the Assembly complex, ensuring that unauthorised persons do not gain entry.
“For the avoidance of doubt, at no point did the letter requesting security assistance instruct the DSS to invade the legislative chamber, lock and restrict access to the Speaker’s office, lock the office of the Acting Clerk and lock the Deputy Speaker’s office.
“The events of today (Monday) raise serious concerns about undue interference in legislative affairs. The sanctity of the Lagos State House of Assembly was undermined by armed DSS operatives who actively obstructed lawmakers from performing their constitutional duties,” Ogundipe said.
