Key lawmakers meet over Lagos Speakership tussle

Adeyemi Ikuforiji

Outgoing Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly

Eromosele Ebhomele

Outgoing Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly
Outgoing Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly

The current impasse faced by members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, western Nigeria over who should lead the House in the next Assembly has resulted in the ranking members of the House meeting today (Thursday) to see how they could come up with a consensus.

But PM NEWS learnt that some of the candidates for the position of the speaker of the House, have remained resolute on going ahead to contest and that where they are forced to step down, they should be considered for juicy committees.

Those currently jostling for the speakership position of the House include Moshood Oshun, the representative of Lagos Mainland Constituency 2, Gbolahan Yishawu of Eti-Osa Constituency 2, Mudashiru Obasa of Agege Constituency 1, Adefunmilayo Tejuosho of Mushin Constituency 1, Rotimi Abiru of Shomolu Constituency 2, Sanai Agunbiade of Ikorodu Constituency 1, and Wasiu Sanni Eshinlokun, member-elect for Lagos Island Constituency 1.

A meeting was scheduled for Monday this week, but nothing concrete was achieved as sources privy to the meeting said it was rescheduled because the information for the meeting did not go round.

PM NEWS further learnt that some other meetings had also been held both within and outside the House where a senior lawmaker appealed to the aspirants to support a candidate from the Lagos West Senatorial District.

“We were shocked because it was a confirmation of the rumour of some nocturnal agreements between the two of them. We do not see any sincerity in this and we all rejected this,” one of the lawmakers told our correspondent.

Reliable information shows that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is interested in zoning the position to the Lagos Central to accommodate the three zones of the state especially learning from the defeat it suffered in eight of the 40 constituencies of the state.

The governor-elect, Akinwunmi Ambode, is from Lagos East while the Deputy Governor-elect, Mrs. Ranti Adebule, is from Lagos West.

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However, before the party would finally decide, P.M. NEWS learnt that it would first seek the decision of the members on their choice, but this does not mean that the party must agree with the members.

“The party has the final say, but it is even surprising that outgoing principal officers of the House are the ones majorly causing this confusion by their support for some candidates forgetting that the incoming Speaker will be the Speaker of those coming in and not the ones going out.

At a meeting held recently, sources said some leaders in the House appealed to some of the candidates, including Mrs. Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, to step down so as to reduce the number of those jostling for the position, but that they all declined.

The meeting which lasted till 10:00 pm was deadlocked.

“I am from Lagos West and I can tell you we don’t have a candidate. Those showing interest from the zone are doing so on their own.

“Yes, they could be ranking members, but there are a lot of qualities to consider and which they are seriously lacking in. Do your own survey and confirm. We don’t want those who would become problems to us and the party

“We believe that for equity and the future of the APC, the party should allow Lagos Central the position since we already have a slot in the Deputy Governor. It would have been a different case if we do not have a capable hand from the Central zone.”

“Many of us, first term lawmakers who are returning for a second term, as well as staff of Assembly are more comfortable with the most ranking member from Lagos Central, not just because of experience, but because over the years, he has made himself very accommodating, honest and effective in any task.

“Apart from being a ranking member and from Lagos Central, some of us have had a close working and personal experiences with him and we see him as effectively taking off from where Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji would stop,” one of the lawmakers from Lagos West said promising to update our correspondent on the outcome of Thursday’s meeting.

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