Lagos Assembly crisis: House creates new committees, re-assigns removed principal officers, suspended members

TRACKING____The raging dust in the Lagos State House of Assembly may be getting set to settle as the situation seems to be have been brought under control, that is if recent development is anything to go by.

At the weekend, nine standing committees of the House were reconstituted to accommodate the recently removed principal officers and the suspended members.

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This is even as an unconfirmed report says a member of the security team in the Assembly led some persons to break into the offices of the removed principal officers on Saturday and remove their personal effects.

According to reliable sources the reconstitution of the committees was sequel to a meeting initiated by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is said to have only recently returned from on overseas trip.

Tinubu was said to have intervened at a parley where the affected lawmakers were also present, the development from the meeting may have led to an internal memo, signed by the Clerk of the House Mr. Azeez Sanni, who announced the reconstituted.

The Clerk in the memo sighted by our Correspondent and dated 20^th March, 2020, with reference number LSHA/FAD/0/3T/92 and addressed to al Honourable members and Staff it indicated in the newly reconstituted committees, reflecting the re-assignment of the erring members

The memo reads in part,” Following the approval of the leadership of the House, please be informed that the following House Committees have been reconstituted with effect from Friday, 20^th March, 2020.”

It would be recalled that about a fortnight ago, disciplinary actions were been taken by the leadership of the House against some members, according to them aimed at curtailing acts regarded as insubordination, capable of destabilising the institution, even though the real offences of the said lawmakers were not stated.

Consequently, four lawmakers who were high ranking members of the Assembly were affected by the action.

They are; Hon. Rotimi Abiru, the Chief Whip, representing Shomolu Constituency II, Hon. Olumuyiwa Jimoh, the Deputy Majority Leader, representing Apapa II, Hon. Moshood Oshun representing Lagos Mainland II and former Chairman, House committee on Public Account, State and Hon.Kazeem Raheem Ibeju Lekki II, Chairman, House committee on Special Duties and Intergovernmental relations.

In the disciplinary action by the state legislators, the two principal officers were removed from their former positions and suspended while the other two were suspended via the concurrence of 26 members of the law making body, following the invocation of the house rules and ethics by Rt.Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.

The reconstitution of the new committees had the former Chief Whip who in time past, chairs the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the House and a fourth term lawmaker, to now chair Inter parliamentary Committee, formerly chaired by Hon.Fatai Oluwa, who now chairs Tourism, Arts and Culture.

Former Deputy Majority Leader, Hon.Olumuyiwa Jimoh is now to chair the Central Business District committee, while Hon (Mrs)Mojisola Alli-Macaulay now chairs the committee on Women Affairs, Poverty Alleviation and Job Creation.

Hon Oshun is now to chair the House Committee on Legislative Compliance, formerly chaired by Hon Rauf Age-Sulaimon, who now chairs Procurement committee.

Hon. Solaja-Saka Nurudeen who formerly chairs Tourism Committee is to chair Public Accounts Committee (State).

Hon. Kazeem Raheem who formerly chairs Special Duties committee is now to chair Establishments, Training and Pensions, where Hon. Makinde Rasheed recently held sway.

Makinde now chairs Special Duties and Intergovernmental relations.

It is however, worthy of note that two lawmakers; Hon.Mojisola Meranda from Apapa constituency I, was made the Chief Whip and Noheem Adams who was elected through a bye election a few years back as a replacement after the demise of the Eti-Osa 1 constituency legislator, late Kazeem Alimi, became the lucky one to be raised to the Deputy Majority Leader position.