…GAC holds meeting with Miranda, others

The hope of returning back to seat of the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly by Hon. Mudashiru Obasa seem to deeming with more stakeholders pledging allegiance to the new Speaker, Hon. Mojisola Meranda .

The latest among the stakeholders to pledge their loyalty to the new speaker, is Lagos State House of Assembly Staff.

The group gave Hon. Meranda a rousing welcome to the Assembly complex on Monday and also declared their total support for the new speaker.

The former speaker, Obasa, who represents Agege constituency, was removed on January 13, 2025, by the majority members of the Assembly over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office while he was away in the US but on his return to the country, he held a press conference where he insisted that his removal didn’t follow due process.

However, since the former speaker, Obasa was removed, many stakeholders have continued to pledge support for the new Speaker, and these stakeholders included the apex body in All Progressive Congress (APC), Governance Advisory Council (GAC).

Although few member of GAC were not comfortable with the emergence of Maranda as Speaker due to constituent she comes from, which is Central Senatorial District.

According to those kicking against emergence of the new Speaker, Meranda, the governor is from Central Senatorial District and it will amount to injustice to other district for speaker to come again from the same Senatorial District .

As at the time of filing the report, GAC is currently holding a closed door meeting at the Lagos House in Marina, and according to a source, top on the agenda of the meeting meeting is issue of zoning which they are trying to resolve.

The new speaker along with some members of the House have also joined the meeting, the outcome of the meeting will determine where pendulum will swing .

Meanwhile , members of the House have denied knowledge of any directive from President Bola Tinubu to reinstate former Speaker, Obasa, saying the former leader of the assembly must be daydreaming.

The denial followed a report by an online news medium, which claimed that President Tinubu had ordered members of the Lagos Assembly to allow Obasa to return as speaker.

The medium claimed the lawmakers should be prepared to return Obasa because the political price for his removal could potentially outweigh the benefits of punishing his excesses, which it stated, bordered largely on corruption and abuse of office.

However, some lawmakers said his return would be difficult for those who participated in his impeachment, especially those who circulated copies of The Gazette’s story that preceded it.

“We’re afraid that bringing him back will be like trying to pacify a snake after its head was severed,” a source said, adding: “Its venom will be super deadly.”

The Police Service Commission, PSC, has said it has no constitutional powers to determine the appointment or removal of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP.

Gatekeeper recalls that the Police Service Commission had last week directed all serving police officers who have served for 35 years, or attained the age of 60 years, to proceed on immediate retirement in line with existing laws.

Since the directive several public commentators have argued that the directives should also affect the tenure of the IGP.

But Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations of the PSC, in a statement on Monday, said, “By virtue of Paragraph 30, part 1 of the third schedule to the Constitution, and clause 6 (1) of the Police Service Commission (Establisment) Act, 2001, the Commission is charged with the responsibilities of appointment, promotion, dismissal and exercising disciplinary control over persons holding offices in the Nigeria Police Force (except the Inspector General of Police).

“The law is clear on the mandate of the Commission and it does not extend to the Inspector General of Police who is an appointee of Mr. President with the advice of the Police Council.

“The Commission wishes to state that it is comfortable with the size of the powers which the Constitution has bestowed on it and is not interested in shopping for more powers that obviously are not backed by law.”

Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has described the planned increase in electricity and telecom tariffs as unconscionable.

The statement comes after the telecoms regulator last week approved the increase in mobile tariffs.

The federal government also recently said that plans were ongoing to increase electricity tariffs “over the next few months.”

However, Sani, who said the government’s plan is unreasonable, insisted that it should be halted.

The ex-lawmaker also expressed his support for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the scheduled protest against the government’s proposal, calling it a welcome development.

“The planned increase in electricity tariffs in the midst of poor power supply and the proposal to increase telecom tariffs is unconscionable and should be halted. The scheduled labour union protest is a welcome development,” he posted on X.