
Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa
Lagos State lawmakers have disagreed with the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa over his outburst on the list of commissioner nominees sent to the house by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The lawmakers namely Hon. Temitope Adewale representing Ifako Ijaiye Constituency 01, Kehinde Joseph of Alimosho 02, Femi Saheed, Kosofe 02 and David Setonji of Badagry Constituency 02 had expressed their grievances over the choice of commissioners in Lagos State during the screening and confirmation.
But the speaker rose in support of Governor Sanwo-Olu saying that he has every right to choose the commissioners he wants to work with from anywhere.
But the lawmakers lamented the exclusion of some local governments and constituencies from the list.
Hon. Joseph opined that loyalists and party members deserved an opportunity to be nominated as much as the technocrats.
He argued that those who sacrificed their ambitions for the party or lost during the last election could also be nominated as commissioners and special advisers as they could still serve the people in other capacities.
Hon. Saheed explained that he had the opportunity to serve as secretary of the State’s All Progressive Congress for seven years and was aware that the party has technocrats which can be nominated.
“The House must thoroughly look at the nominees to make sure they are worthy of the nomination,” he said.
In his reaction, Hon. David Setonji noted that “it seems like we have not learnt our lesson. In one of the wards in my constituency, it was hard but in the end we proved ourselves and here is the list and not a single name from my LGA.”
Hon. Adewale Temitope in his submission noted that Ifako Ijaye LGA which delivered in the last election to the success of the governorship did not get a nomination in the list.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa, implored the members to see reasons with the Governor over his choice of individuals in the list.
He noted, “The law gives room for the Governor to decide who he wants to choose; the House also has the power to deliberate on his decisions.”
Though the Speaker agreed that the list of nominees need to also include the LGA they come from for the benefit of the State in particular and the general public.
But the speaker’s submission did not go down well with four legislators as they have been mounting pressures on elders of APC to wade into the matter.